CVE-2019-13197 in ECOSYS M5526cdw
Summary
by MITRE
Some Kyocera printers (such as the ECOSYS M5526cdw 2R7_2000.001.701) were affected by a buffer overflow vulnerability in the URI paths of the web application that would allow an unauthenticated attacker to perform a Denial of Service attack, crashing the device, or potentially execute arbitrary code on the device.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-13197 affects Kyocera printer models including the ECOSYS M5526cdw and other devices running firmware versions such as 2R7_2000.001.701. This issue resides within the web application component of these multifunction devices, specifically targeting the Uniform Resource Identifier handling mechanisms that process incoming requests through the device's HTTP interface. The affected printers expose a web management interface that accepts URI paths from remote clients, making them susceptible to malicious input manipulation.
The core technical flaw represents a classic buffer overflow condition occurring in the URI path processing logic of the printer's web server implementation. When the device receives HTTP requests containing overly long or malformed URI paths, the application fails to properly validate input lengths before copying data into fixed-size buffers. This programming error creates a condition where attacker-controlled data can overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially corrupting critical program execution flow. The vulnerability manifests as a buffer overflow that can be triggered through carefully crafted HTTP requests sent to the printer's web interface without requiring authentication credentials.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant security risks to organizations relying on Kyocera printers for document processing and network connectivity. The unauthenticated nature of the attack means that any remote attacker with network access to the device can exploit the vulnerability, eliminating the need for valid credentials or privileged access. The potential impact includes complete device denial of service through system crashes, rendering the printer inoperable until manual reboot or power cycle occurs. More critically, the buffer overflow condition could potentially allow remote code execution, enabling attackers to gain full control over the affected device and potentially use it as a pivot point for broader network attacks.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a common weakness in input validation for network services. From an adversarial perspective, this issue maps to multiple ATT&CK techniques including T1190 for exploitation of remote services and T1059 for command execution. The attack surface extends beyond simple DoS to include potential privilege escalation and lateral movement within network environments where these devices operate. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation to limit direct access to printer web interfaces, as well as establishing regular firmware update procedures to address known vulnerabilities. The affected devices require immediate remediation through official firmware updates provided by Kyocera, as manual code patching is not feasible for embedded device firmware implementations. Network monitoring should also be enhanced to detect anomalous URI patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts against this vulnerability.