VulnerabilityPublished 26 Nov 2024Updated 4 Nov 2025

CVE-2024-29978: Sharp Multiple MFPs (multifunction printers) · Plaintext Storage of a Password

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

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.9 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.9Medium

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

EPSS: 1.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 69% 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:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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

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: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
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: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

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 26 Oct 2026.

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 or the CVSS exploit maturity 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

Apply official patches and firmware updates from Sharp Corporation as soon as they become available to address this vulnerability.
Restrict access to device management interfaces and diagnostic data, including coredump files, ensuring only authorized personnel can retrieve or view them.
Implement network segmentation to isolate MFP devices from untrusted networks and limit exposure to potential attackers.
Regularly audit and monitor access logs on MFPs for unusual or unauthorized access attempts, especially related to diagnostic or memory dump retrieval.
Secure physical access to MFP devices to prevent unauthorized extraction of storage media containing coredump files.
Configure devices to minimize or disable automatic generation of coredump files where possible, or ensure these files are encrypted and securely stored.
Educate IT and security teams about the risks of plaintext password storage and the importance of handling diagnostic data securely.
Incorporate MFP security into broader endpoint and network security policies, including vulnerability management and incident response plans.

Description

User passwords are decrypted and stored on memory before any user logged in. Those decrypted passwords can be retrieved from the coredump file. 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, this vulnerability poses a significant confidentiality risk, especially in environments where Sharp MFPs are widely deployed for document processing and printing sensitive information. The exposure of plaintext passwords could enable attackers to compromise user accounts on the device, potentially leading to unauthorized access to scanned documents, print jobs, or administrative functions. This could result in data leakage of sensitive corporate or personal information. Although the vulnerability does not directly affect system integrity or availability, the compromise of credentials could be leveraged as a foothold for lateral movement within corporate networks. Sectors such as government, finance, healthcare, and legal services, which rely heavily on secure document handling, are particularly vulnerable. Additionally, the risk is heightened if coredump files are not adequately protected or if device management interfaces are exposed to untrusted networks. The medium CVSS score reflects that while exploitation is not trivial, the potential impact on confidentiality is high, warranting prompt attention. The lack of known exploits in the wild suggests that immediate widespread attacks are unlikely but does not preclude targeted attacks against high-value organizations.

Summary

CVE-2024-29978 is a vulnerability identified in multiple Sharp Corporation multifunction printers (MFPs) where user passwords are handled insecurely. Specifically, the devices decrypt user passwords and store them in plaintext within device memory before any user logs in. This decrypted password data can be retrieved from coredump files generated by the device, which are typically used for debugging and crash analysis. Because these coredump files contain sensitive plaintext credentials, an attacker with access to these files could extract user passwords without needing to authenticate or interact with the device. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.9, reflecting a medium severity level. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), but the attack complexity is high (AC:H), meaning exploitation requires specific conditions or knowledge. No privileges or user interaction are required (PR:N/UI:N), and the impact is limited to confidentiality (C:H), with no impact on integrity or availability. The affected product versions are not explicitly listed but are referenced in vendor advisories. There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication. The vulnerability arises from insecure memory handling and insufficient protection of sensitive credential data in diagnostic files. This flaw could be exploited by attackers who gain access to device memory or coredump files, potentially through network intrusion or physical access to the device's storage. The exposure of plaintext passwords could facilitate further unauthorized access to the device or connected systems, undermining organizational security.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 4 Nov 2025, 17:50 UTC

Technical details

References

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