Printer Security Meltdown: 742 Models Vulnerable to Easy Password Hacks!
Brother printers are making a splash with their new, not-so-secret feature: predictable passwords! Thanks to CVE-2024-51978, remote attackers can join the fun with default admin passwords as easy to generate as a toddler’s tantrum. Users, change those passwords pronto and avoid becoming an unintentional participant in the printer vulnerability party.
Hot Take:
Have you ever heard the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? Well, it seems that Brother printers took it a step further with, “If it’s broke, just print the default password!” With 689 models carrying a secret that’s easier to crack than a fortune cookie, it’s a hacker’s paradise. Forget about firmware updates – you might as well be updating your grandma’s typewriter!
Key Points:
– A staggering 689 Brother printer models and 53 others have a default admin password flaw.
– The vulnerability, CVE-2024-51978, is part of eight discovered by Rapid7, with a critical CVSS score of 9.8.
– The password is generated using a method involving the device’s serial number, making it predictable.
– Firmware updates can’t fix the issue for existing printers; users must change default passwords manually.
– Other vulnerabilities can be exploited in combination, leading to serious security risks.