CVE-2023-4694 in OfficeJet Pro Printer
Summary
by MITRE • 12/14/2023
Certain HP OfficeJet Pro printers are potentially vulnerable to a Denial of Service when sending a SOAP message to the service on TCP port 3911 that contains a body but no header.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/11/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-4694 affects HP OfficeJet Pro series printers and represents a significant denial of service weakness that can be exploited through improper handling of SOAP messages. This issue manifests when a malicious actor sends a SOAP message containing a body but lacking a header to the printer's service running on TCP port 3911. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation and error handling within the printer's web services implementation, creating an opportunity for attackers to disrupt legitimate printer operations. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects widely deployed office printing infrastructure that many organizations rely upon for critical business processes.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the printer's SOAP message processing logic which fails to properly validate the structure of incoming messages before attempting to process them. When a SOAP message arrives without a header section but includes a body, the printer's service implementation does not adequately handle this malformed input, leading to a service crash or unresponsive state. This behavior aligns with CWE-400, which addresses improper handling of input data that can lead to resource exhaustion or system instability. The absence of proper input sanitization and validation creates a path for attackers to cause the printer service to become unavailable, effectively rendering the device unusable for legitimate print operations.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-4694 extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can severely affect business continuity in office environments where these printers are critical components of document workflows. Organizations relying on HP OfficeJet Pro printers for high-volume printing operations may experience significant downtime when this vulnerability is exploited, potentially affecting productivity across multiple departments. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where printers are accessible from multiple locations. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform persistent denial of service attacks that may require manual intervention to restore printer functionality, including device rebooting or firmware reconfiguration.
Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability in the context of the broader ATT&CK framework, specifically under the T1499 category for network denial of service attacks. The vulnerability's exploitation pattern aligns with techniques that target network services to create availability disruptions. Organizations should implement network segmentation to isolate critical printer services from general network access, while also applying firmware updates from HP as soon as they become available. Additional mitigations include configuring network access controls to restrict access to TCP port 3911, implementing intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious SOAP message patterns, and establishing monitoring procedures to detect printer service unavailability. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation in network services and highlights the need for robust error handling mechanisms in embedded systems that serve networked environments.