VulnerabilityPublished 25 Jun 2025Updated 30 Mar 2026

CVE-2024-51977: Brother Industries HL-L8260CDN · Insertion of Sensitive Information into Externally-Accessible File or Directory

Affects Brother Industries HL-L8260CDNSource CVE Database V5

Public exploit available (Metasploit) · 46% EPSS · CVSS 5.3 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.3Medium

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

EPSS: 46.6% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 98% 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:L/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
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: 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: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
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 25 Jun 2025
Detectable: evidence found.
nuclei template: Brother MFC-L9570CDW - Information Disclosure
Weaponised: evidence found.
1 Metasploit module
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

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Brother Industries, Ltd HL-L8260CDN	Affected =0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2024-51977, organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Restrict network access to the printer’s management interfaces (HTTP, HTTPS, IPP) by applying firewall rules or network segmentation to limit exposure only to trusted administrative hosts. 2) Disable or restrict IPP and web services on the printer if not required for business operations. 3) Monitor network traffic for unauthorized access attempts to the /etc/mnt_info.csv URI and implement intrusion detection/prevention rules to alert on or block such requests. 4) Regularly audit printer firmware versions and configurations to identify devices running vulnerable versions and apply vendor patches or firmware updates as soon as they become available. 5) Employ network access controls such as VLANs or NAC solutions to isolate printers from general user networks, reducing the attack surface. 6) Consider using VPN or secure management channels for remote printer administration to prevent direct exposure of management interfaces. 7) Maintain an inventory of all Brother HL-L8260CDN devices and verify their exposure status to prioritize remediation efforts. These targeted controls go beyond generic advice by focusing on limiting access to vulnerable services and proactive monitoring.

Description

An unauthenticated attacker who can access either the HTTP service (TCP port 80), the HTTPS service (TCP port 443), or the IPP service (TCP port 631), can leak several pieces of sensitive information from a vulnerable device. The URI path /etc/mnt_info.csv can be accessed via a GET request and no authentication is required. The returned result is a comma separated value (CSV) table of information. The leaked information includes the device’s model, firmware version, IP address, and serial number.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2024-51977 is the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive device information, including model, firmware version, IP address, and serial number. This information can be leveraged by attackers to identify vulnerable devices, tailor exploits, or conduct targeted attacks such as firmware tampering, network reconnaissance, or social engineering. While the vulnerability does not directly compromise device integrity or availability, the leaked data lowers the barrier for subsequent attacks that could lead to more severe consequences. Organizations with exposed HL-L8260CDN printers on accessible networks risk information leakage that could facilitate lateral movement or escalation in a broader attack campaign. The impact is particularly relevant in environments where printers are connected to sensitive or segmented networks, as attackers could use this information to map network assets or identify outdated firmware versions susceptible to other vulnerabilities. Since no authentication is required, any attacker with network access can exploit this flaw, increasing the risk in poorly segmented or publicly accessible network environments.

Summary

CVE-2024-51977 is a vulnerability identified in the Brother Industries HL-L8260CDN printer model, classified under CWE-538, which pertains to the insertion of sensitive information into an externally accessible file or directory. The flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to retrieve sensitive device information by accessing the URI path /etc/mnt_info.csv via a simple HTTP GET request on any of the device's exposed services: HTTP (port 80), HTTPS (port 443), or IPP (port 631). The response is a CSV-formatted file containing details such as the printer's model number, firmware version, IP address, and serial number. This information leakage occurs without any authentication or user interaction, making it trivially exploitable by anyone with network access to the device. Although the vulnerability does not permit modification of device settings or disruption of services, the exposed data can facilitate further attacks by providing attackers with valuable reconnaissance information. The vulnerability was published on June 25, 2025, and currently, there are no known exploits in the wild. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.3, indicating a medium severity primarily due to confidentiality impact without affecting integrity or availability. No patches or firmware updates have been linked yet, so mitigation relies on network-level controls and monitoring.

Metasploit modules

Multiple Brother devices authentication bypass via default administrator password generationauxiliary · Normal (opens in a new tab)

Nuclei detection templates

Brother MFC-L9570CDW - Information Disclosuremedium (opens in a new tab)

Public tooling indexed from Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB and ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates. Its existence raises the odds of exploitation; it does not confirm attacks.

CWE-538Insertion of Sensitive Information into Externally-Accessible File or Directory (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product places sensitive information into files or directories that are accessible to actors who are allowed to have access to the files, but not to the sensitive information.
Architecture and Design · Operation · System Configuration
Do not expose file and directory information to the user.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Error Handling (opens in a new tab)
Logging (opens in a new tab)
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.3.4 (opens in a new tab)
V14.3.3 (opens in a new tab)
V7.3.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
WSDL Scanning (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 30 Mar 2026, 16:38 UTC

Public exploits and detection1 Metasploit module, a Nuclei detection template

WeaknessesCWE-538

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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