CVE-2017-7588 in MFC-J6973CDW
Summary
by MITRE
On certain Brother devices, authorization is mishandled by including a valid AuthCookie cookie in the HTTP response to a failed login attempt. Affected models are: MFC-J6973CDW MFC-J4420DW MFC-8710DW MFC-J4620DW MFC-L8850CDW MFC-J3720 MFC-J6520DW MFC-L2740DW MFC-J5910DW MFC-J6920DW MFC-L2700DW MFC-9130CW MFC-9330CDW MFC-9340CDW MFC-J5620DW MFC-J6720DW MFC-L8600CDW MFC-L9550CDW MFC-L2720DW DCP-L2540DW DCP-L2520DW HL-3140CW HL-3170CDW HL-3180CDW HL-L8350CDW HL-L2380DW ADS-2500W ADS-1000W ADS-1500W.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/25/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical authorization flaw in Brother networked printing devices that exposes sensitive authentication mechanisms to unauthorized access. The issue stems from improper handling of authentication cookies within the web interface of affected models, where the system inadvertently includes a valid AuthCookie in HTTP responses even when login attempts fail. This misconfiguration fundamentally undermines the security model of the device's authentication system, creating a persistent vulnerability that can be exploited by attackers without requiring valid credentials to access restricted administrative functions.
The technical implementation of this flaw allows attackers to extract authentication tokens from failed login responses, effectively bypassing normal authentication procedures. When users attempt to log in with incorrect credentials, the device should reject the attempt and not provide any authentication tokens. However, in affected Brother devices, the system continues to include a valid AuthCookie in the HTTP response, enabling attackers to harvest these tokens and subsequently impersonate legitimate users. This behavior directly violates security principles outlined in CWE-305, which addresses authentication mechanisms that are vulnerable to attack through the reuse of authentication tokens or session identifiers. The vulnerability specifically manifests in the HTTP response handling of the web server component, where proper access control enforcement fails to prevent token leakage during authentication failures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple unauthorized access to printer settings. Attackers can leverage the extracted authentication tokens to gain full administrative control over affected devices, potentially enabling them to modify printer configurations, install malicious firmware, or redirect print jobs to unauthorized destinations. The implications are particularly severe given that many of these devices are deployed in corporate environments where they may be connected to internal networks, providing attackers with potential lateral movement capabilities. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts usage, as attackers can exploit the legitimate authentication tokens to maintain persistent access to networked printing infrastructure. Additionally, the flaw could enable attackers to establish persistence through the printer's web interface, potentially using it as a foothold for further network infiltration.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including network segmentation to isolate affected devices from critical network segments, disabling unnecessary web interfaces when possible, and enforcing strict access controls on printer management interfaces. The most effective immediate solution involves applying firmware updates from Brother that correct the authentication handling behavior and ensure that valid authentication tokens are only provided upon successful authentication. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns in authentication responses, particularly those involving unexpected AuthCookie inclusion in failed login attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing automated vulnerability scanning to identify all affected devices within their network infrastructure, as the vulnerability affects multiple printer models across different product lines. The remediation process must include comprehensive testing to ensure that the firmware updates do not disrupt legitimate printing operations while effectively addressing the authentication token leakage issue.