CVE-2024-28038VulnerabilityPublished 26 Nov 2024Updated 4 Nov 2025

CVE-2024-28038: Sharp Multiple MFPs (multifunction printers) · Stack-based buffer overflow

Affects Sharp Multiple MFPs (multifunction printers)Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.0 Critical.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

9.0Critical

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 2.5% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 85% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: High
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Changed
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: High: A successful attack depends on conditions beyond the attacker's control. That is, a successful attack cannot be accomplished at will, but requires the attacker to invest in some measurable amount of effort in preparation or execution against the vulnerable component before a successful attack can be expected. For example, a successful attack may require an attacker to: gather knowledge about the environment in which the vulnerable target/component exists; prepare the target environment to improve exploit reliability; or inject themselves into the logical network path between the target and the resource requested by the victim in order to read and/or modify network communications (e.g., a man in the middle attack).
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Changed: An exploited vulnerability can affect resources beyond the security scope managed by the security authority of the vulnerable component. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are different and managed by different security authorities.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 26 Nov 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

1. Apply official security patches and firmware updates from Sharp Corporation immediately upon release to remediate the vulnerability. 2. Restrict network access to the web management interfaces of Sharp MFPs by implementing network segmentation and firewall rules, allowing only trusted administrative hosts to connect. 3. Disable or limit remote management features if not required. 4. Monitor network traffic for anomalous or unusually long MFPSESSIONID cookie values that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5. Employ intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) with signatures or heuristics targeting buffer overflow attempts against Sharp MFP web interfaces. 6. Conduct regular security audits of multifunction printers and ensure they are included in vulnerability management programs. 7. Educate IT staff about the risks associated with network-connected printers and the importance of timely patching. 8. Consider isolating multifunction printers on dedicated VLANs to reduce the risk of lateral movement in case of compromise.

Description

The web interface of the affected devices processes a cookie value improperly, leading to a stack buffer overflow. More precisely, giving too long character string to MFPSESSIONID parameter results in a stack buffer overflow. As for the details of affected product names, model numbers, and versions, refer to the information provided by the respective vendors listed under [References].

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-28038 is significant due to the widespread use of Sharp multifunction printers in offices, government agencies, and critical infrastructure sectors. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive documents, disruption of printing and scanning services, and potential network compromise if attackers use the printer as a pivot point. Confidentiality is at risk as attackers might intercept or alter documents processed by the device. Integrity and availability are also threatened, as attackers could execute arbitrary code to disrupt device operation or manipulate data. The vulnerability’s remote exploitability without authentication increases the attack surface, especially for devices exposed to untrusted networks or insufficiently segmented internal networks. European organizations with strict data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR) face additional compliance risks if sensitive information is compromised. The potential for lateral movement within corporate networks elevates the threat to overall organizational cybersecurity posture.

Summary

CVE-2024-28038 is a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability identified in the web interface of multiple Sharp Corporation multifunction printers (MFPs). The vulnerability occurs due to improper handling of the MFPSESSIONID cookie parameter, where an attacker can supply an excessively long string value that overflows the stack buffer. This overflow can lead to arbitrary code execution on the affected device. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without requiring authentication or user interaction, making it highly dangerous. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 9.0 (critical), reflecting the vulnerability's potential to compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the device and potentially the broader network. The vulnerability affects multiple Sharp MFP models and versions; specific affected versions are detailed by Sharp Corporation in their advisories. No known exploits have been reported in the wild yet, but the critical nature of the flaw and ease of exploitation make it a high priority for patching. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could gain control over the printer, intercept or manipulate sensitive documents, disrupt printing services, or use the device as a foothold for lateral movement within a network. The multifunction printers’ role in document processing and network connectivity makes this vulnerability particularly impactful in enterprise and government environments.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 4 Nov 2025, 17:53 UTC

Technical details

References

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