CVE-2019-13194 in HL-L8360CDW
Summary
by MITRE
Some Brother printers (such as the HL-L8360CDW v1.20) were affected by different information disclosure vulnerabilities that provided sensitive information to an unauthenticated user who visits a specific URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/14/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-13194 represents a critical information disclosure flaw affecting certain Brother printer models including the HL-L8360CDW version 1.20. This security weakness allows unauthenticated attackers to access sensitive system information through simple web-based interactions, fundamentally compromising the confidentiality of printer operations. The vulnerability exists within the web interface of these devices, which serves as the primary means for remote administration and monitoring. Attackers can exploit this flaw by visiting a specific URL that triggers the disclosure of internal system data without requiring any authentication credentials or prior access to the device.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and access control mechanisms within the printer's web server implementation. When a user navigates to the crafted URL, the system fails to properly authenticate or authorize the request before exposing internal configuration parameters, system logs, and potentially sensitive operational data. This flaw aligns with CWE-200, which describes the exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor, and represents a classic example of insecure direct object reference vulnerability where the web application provides access to internal resources without proper access controls. The vulnerability demonstrates poor separation between public and private interfaces within the printer's web service architecture, allowing attackers to bypass normal authentication procedures and directly access system information.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-13194 extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks against the affected printer infrastructure. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could obtain network configuration details, user credentials stored in memory, system logs, and potentially administrative access information that could be leveraged for further compromise. The unauthenticated nature of the attack means that any user with network access to the printer could exploit this weakness, making it particularly dangerous in shared network environments where multiple users have access to printer services. This vulnerability directly impacts the principle of least privilege and could enable attackers to gather intelligence for targeted attacks against the broader network infrastructure. The disclosure of system information could provide attackers with knowledge about printer firmware versions, installed features, and operational parameters that could be used to identify additional vulnerabilities or plan more sophisticated attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-13194 should prioritize immediate firmware updates from Brother to address the identified information disclosure vulnerability. Organizations should implement network segmentation to isolate printer devices from critical network segments, ensuring that even if an attacker compromises a printer, they cannot easily move laterally through the network. Network access control measures including firewalls and access control lists should be configured to restrict access to printer web interfaces to authorized administrative users only. The implementation of network monitoring solutions can help detect unusual traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts against these vulnerabilities. Additionally, organizations should conduct regular security assessments of their printer fleet to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities. This vulnerability highlights the importance of secure configuration management and proper access control implementation in networked devices, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1083 for discovering system information and T1046 for network service scanning. The remediation process should include verification of the firmware update installation and confirmation that the web interface properly enforces authentication controls to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive system information.