A highly critical vulnerability was recently discovered in certain LaserJet MFP (Multifunction Printer) products from tech giant HP. The company has acted swiftly and provided a patch to address the issue. The flaw posed a significant risk, potentially leading to buffer overflow and remote code execution if left unpatched. As a result, HP released updated firmware for affected products on June 12 to prevent cyberattacks.
HP printer vulnerability is considered “highly critical”
With a severity score of 9.8, the HP LaserJet MFP vulnerability has been classified as highly critical. The CVE-2023-1329 vulnerability was detected in HP Enterprise LaserJet MFP products, with support pages urging users to update their printer firmware to protect against potential cyber attacks.
Cyber attacks arising from coding errors
Hackers frequently gain access to corporate systems through buffer overflow exploits, caused by a coding error in software. The HP printer vulnerability CVE-2023-1329 is no exception and can also be exploited for remote code execution, enabling changes to be made remotely. The company’s support page warned that “The vulnerability may lead to Buffer Overflow and/or Remote Code Execution when running HP Workpath solutions on potentially affected products.” HP Workpath aligns documents with multifunctional printers, enabling shared scanned files to the office MFP, among other services.
Over 50 HP products are affected
More than 50 products were vulnerable to the flaw in HP software. Some of the affected products mentioned on the HP support page include HP Color LaserJet Enterprise MFP M577, HP LaserJet Enterprise MFP M527, HP PageWide Enterprise Color MFP 586, and HP Digital Sender Flow 8500 fn2 Document Capture Workstation. Third-party vendors using HP printers were also instructed to update patches for the HP printer vulnerability.
Additional security patches on offer
In addition to the patch for the HP printer vulnerability CVE-2023-1329, HP has released several other patches, as noted on its support page. The company has also addressed other vulnerabilities, such as the critical vulnerability CVE-2023-1707 and CVE-2022-43779. Although the former was assigned a severity score of 9.1, the latter had a base score of 7.8.
The impact of remote code execution flaws
Vulnerabilities such as the HP MFP vulnerability can allow hackers to add, read, delete, and modify vital system data and change services on the system. This could enable hackers to alter their access to a system and move laterally across a network without detection, posing significant cybersecurity risks to companies and individuals. Updated software and security tools, including firewalls, antivirus, and monitoring tools to detect unauthorized access, are essential to prevent cyberattacks. Organizations must also limit access to servers to individuals with specific privileges to access specific systems and sensitive data. Additionally, 24/7 system monitoring is critical to detect threats quickly and avoid further harm.
Conclusion
The discovery of the highly critical HP printer vulnerability in its multifunctional printer products has highlighted the need for regular patch updates and the importance of monitoring IT systems closely. While software providers will continue to address cybersecurity concerns, businesses and individuals must be vigilant in keeping their systems up to date and taking proactive measures to prevent attacks on their networks. Therefore, securing all devices connected to a corporate network is vital for cybersecurity and maintaining operational stability.