CVE-2024-36248VulnerabilityPublished 26 Nov 2024Updated 4 Nov 2025

CVE-2024-36248: Sharp Multiple MFPs (multifunction printers) · Use of Hard-coded Credentials

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

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.1 Critical.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 08:30 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

9.1Critical

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

EPSS: 1.0% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 64% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
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: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
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: 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: 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 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

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.

Description

API keys for some cloud services are hardcoded in the "main" binary. 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-2024-36248 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.

Summary

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.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 4 Nov 2025, 17:57 UTC

Technical details

References

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