CVE-2026-91102 in HPLIP
Summary
by MITRE • 09/16/2026
HP has identified and remediated multiple externally reported vulnerabilities within HPLIP. The findings affect several software components that could potentially enable remote code execution, privilege escalation, denial of service, information disclosure, or unauthorized file modification under certain conditions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2026
Hewlett-Packard has addressed a cluster of security flaws identified in the HP Linux Imaging and Printing (HPLIP) suite, resolving issues reported by external researchers that pose significant risks to system integrity and confidentiality. These vulnerabilities span multiple software components within the HPLIP ecosystem, which serves as the primary driver framework for many HP printers on Linux-based operating systems. The remediation efforts target critical weaknesses that could allow attackers to achieve remote code execution, escalate privileges beyond their current user context, cause denial of service conditions, disclose sensitive information, or modify files without authorization under specific operational circumstances.
The potential for remote code execution represents the most severe risk among these findings. If exploited successfully, an attacker could leverage flaws in how HPLIP processes certain inputs to execute arbitrary commands on the target system with the privileges of the application user. This capability fundamentally breaks the isolation between untrusted input and system-level operations, allowing malicious actors to take control of affected systems remotely if they can trigger the vulnerable code paths through networked printer services or local interaction with printing interfaces.
Privilege escalation vulnerabilities further compound the threat landscape by enabling attackers to gain higher levels of access than originally intended. By exploiting specific logic errors or improper permission checks within HPLIP components, an adversary could transition from a standard user account to administrative privileges. This elevation allows for deeper system compromise, including the installation of persistent malware, modification of security configurations, and unrestricted access to sensitive data stored on the host machine.
Denial of service conditions present another vector of impact where attackers can disrupt normal printing operations or crash HPLIP processes by supplying malformed or excessively large inputs. While often less severe than code execution flaws, these vulnerabilities can lead to operational downtime for critical infrastructure relying on networked printers and may serve as a precursor to more complex attacks if the system is configured to automatically restart services without proper safeguards against repeated exploitation attempts.
Information disclosure risks arise from improper handling of sensitive data within HPLIP components, potentially exposing configuration details, user credentials, or internal system states to unauthorized parties. This leakage can facilitate further reconnaissance activities by attackers seeking additional entry points into a networked environment where vulnerable printers are deployed as part of the broader IT infrastructure.
Unauthorized file modification capabilities allow attackers to alter critical system files or printer configurations, leading to persistent compromise or misconfiguration that undermines security controls. These flaws typically stem from insufficient validation of write operations and lack of proper access control mechanisms within specific HPLIP modules responsible for managing device settings and driver installations.
From a classification perspective, these vulnerabilities align with common weakness enumerations such as CWE-94 for code injection related to remote execution capabilities, CWE-269 for improper privilege management associated with escalation risks, and CWE-787 for out-of-bounds writes that may contribute to memory corruption issues leading to denial of service or arbitrary code execution. The attack patterns also correspond to MITRE ATT&CK techniques including T1059 for command and script interpretation through remote exploitation vectors, as well as T1068 related to privilege escalation via software vulnerabilities within the operating system environment.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate application of vendor-provided patches that address these specific flaws in HPLIP components. Organizations must ensure their Linux systems are configured with automatic update mechanisms where feasible to maintain protection against newly disclosed threats. Additionally, implementing network segmentation to restrict access to printing services and applying principle of least privilege principles for user accounts interacting with printer management interfaces can significantly reduce the attack surface available to potential adversaries seeking to exploit these vulnerabilities in production environments.