CVE-2019-13169 in Phaser 3320
Summary
by MITRE
Some Xerox printers (such as the Phaser 3320 V53.006.16.000) were affected by a buffer overflow vulnerability in the Content-Type HTTP Header of the web application that would allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the device.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-13169 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the web application interface of certain Xerox printer models including the Phaser 3320 with firmware version V53.006.16.000. This vulnerability resides in the handling of HTTP Content-Type headers, which are fundamental components of web communication protocols used by the printer's embedded web server. The flaw manifests when the device receives a malformed Content-Type header value that exceeds the allocated buffer space, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by remote attackers to gain unauthorized control over the affected hardware.
From a technical perspective this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-121, which describes buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking occurs on data that is copied or moved into a fixed-length buffer. The Xerox printer's web application fails to properly validate the length of incoming Content-Type header values before processing them, allowing an attacker to craft malicious HTTP requests that deliberately exceed buffer boundaries. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of stack-based buffer overflows as described in the CWE taxonomy, where the overflow occurs in a stack allocated buffer during the processing of HTTP request parameters.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple remote code execution to encompass complete system compromise of the affected printer devices. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain root-level access to the printer's operating system, enabling them to modify firmware, access stored print jobs, extract sensitive data, or establish persistent backdoors within the network infrastructure. The implications are particularly severe in enterprise environments where printers often serve as entry points for lateral movement attacks, as documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under techniques related to printer exploitation and initial access vectors. Network administrators may find their printer fleets compromised without traditional security monitoring mechanisms detecting the malicious activity.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-13169 should prioritize immediate firmware updates from Xerox, as the vendor has released patches addressing this specific vulnerability. Organizations should implement network segmentation to isolate printer devices from critical network segments and deploy intrusion detection systems capable of monitoring for suspicious HTTP header patterns. Additional defensive measures include configuring firewalls to restrict access to printer web interfaces, disabling unnecessary web services on printer devices, and implementing network access controls that limit which systems can communicate with printer management interfaces. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive inventory assessments to identify all affected Xerox printer models within their environments and establish monitoring procedures for detecting potential exploitation attempts through abnormal network traffic patterns or unauthorized access logs.