CVE-2024-36248 is a critical security vulnerability discovered in multiple Sharp Corporation multifunction printers (MFPs). The root cause is the presence of hard-coded API keys for cloud services embedded directly within the main binary executable of the affected devices. These hard-coded credentials are static and cannot be changed by end users or administrators, creating a significant security risk. An attacker who can access the network where these MFPs reside can extract these API keys and use them to authenticate to associated cloud services without any additional authentication or user interaction. This vulnerability allows remote, unauthenticated attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive cloud resources linked to the MFPs, potentially leading to data exfiltration, manipulation of documents, or disruption of printing and scanning workflows. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 9.1, reflecting the vulnerability’s network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and high impact on confidentiality (C:H) and integrity (I:H), but no impact on availability (A:N). The affected product versions are not explicitly listed here but are referenced in Sharp Corporation’s advisories. No known exploits have been reported in the wild yet, but the vulnerability’s characteristics make it a prime target for attackers. The presence of hard-coded credentials is a well-known security anti-pattern that often leads to widespread compromise once discovered. Organizations using these Sharp MFPs must treat this vulnerability with urgency due to the potential for unauthorized cloud service access and data compromise.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-36248 can be severe. Multifunction printers are commonly integrated into office networks and often connected to cloud services for document management, scanning, and printing workflows. Exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive corporate documents, intellectual property, and personal data stored or processed via these cloud services. This could result in data breaches violating GDPR and other data protection regulations, leading to legal and financial penalties. Additionally, attackers could manipulate or delete documents, disrupting business operations and damaging organizational integrity. The lack of required authentication and user interaction means attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely and stealthily, increasing the risk of widespread compromise. The exposure of cloud service credentials also raises concerns about lateral movement within networks and further attacks on cloud infrastructure. Given the criticality of the CVSS score and the nature of the vulnerability, organizations face a high risk of confidentiality and integrity loss, which can impact trust, compliance, and operational continuity.

To mitigate CVE-2024-36248, European organizations should take the following specific actions: 1) Immediately consult Sharp Corporation’s official advisories and apply any available firmware updates or patches that remove or replace the hard-coded API keys. 2) If patches are not yet available, disable or restrict cloud service integrations on affected MFPs to prevent unauthorized access via the hard-coded credentials. 3) Segment MFPs on isolated network segments with strict access controls and monitoring to limit exposure to untrusted networks and reduce the attack surface. 4) Implement network intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) to detect anomalous access patterns to MFPs and their cloud services. 5) Conduct audits of cloud service accounts linked to these MFPs to identify any suspicious activity and rotate credentials where possible. 6) Educate IT and security teams about the risks of hard-coded credentials and enforce secure development and deployment practices for all networked devices. 7) Monitor threat intelligence feeds for any emerging exploits targeting this vulnerability to respond promptly. These measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on immediate containment, network segmentation, and proactive monitoring tailored to the unique risks posed by hard-coded credentials in multifunction printers.