CVE-2023-1707: HP FutureSmart 5 Information Disclosure

CVE-2023-1707 Overview

CVE-2023-1707 is an information disclosure vulnerability affecting certain HP Enterprise LaserJet and HP LaserJet Managed Printers when IPsec is enabled with FutureSmart version 5.6. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to potentially access sensitive information transmitted to or from affected printer devices without requiring authentication or user interaction.

The vulnerability exists in the IPsec implementation within HP's FutureSmart firmware, which is designed to secure network communications for enterprise printing environments. When IPsec is enabled, a flaw in the firmware allows information to be disclosed to unauthorized parties, potentially exposing confidential documents, network credentials, or other sensitive data passing through the affected devices.

Critical Impact

Network-accessible attackers can exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information on affected HP Enterprise LaserJet and LaserJet Managed printers with FutureSmart 5.6 firmware when IPsec is enabled.

Affected Products

• HP FutureSmart 5 firmware (version 5.6 and earlier)
• HP Color LaserJet Enterprise series (5700, 6700, 6701, MFP 5800, MFP 6800, X55745, X57945, M455, MFP M480)
• HP Color LaserJet Managed series (E45028, E47528, E786, E78523-E78635, E87740-E87770 Flow and MFP variants)
• HP LaserJet Enterprise series (M406, M407, MFP M430, MFP M431)
• HP LaserJet Managed series (E40040, E42540, E73025-E73140, E82650-E82670, E826 Flow and MFP variants)

Discovery Timeline

• June 13, 2023 - CVE-2023-1707 published to NVD
• January 3, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2023-1707

Vulnerability Analysis

This information disclosure vulnerability is classified under CWE-203 (Observable Discrepancy), indicating that the vulnerability involves information leakage through observable differences in system behavior. The flaw specifically manifests when IPsec security protocols are enabled on affected HP FutureSmart 5.6 firmware.

The vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring any privileges or user interaction. An attacker with network access to a vulnerable printer can potentially intercept or access sensitive information that should be protected by IPsec encryption. This could include print job contents, stored credentials, configuration data, or other confidential information processed by the printer.

Enterprise printing environments are particularly at risk because these devices often handle sensitive corporate documents, connect to directory services for authentication, and may store cached credentials for various network services.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in a flaw within the IPsec implementation in HP FutureSmart 5.6 firmware. While IPsec is intended to provide confidentiality and integrity for network communications, the vulnerable implementation fails to properly protect sensitive information from disclosure. This may involve improper handling of encryption keys, flawed protocol negotiation, or insufficient protection of data during certain phases of IPsec communication.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2023-1707 is network-based, requiring the attacker to have network connectivity to the vulnerable printer device. The attack can be carried out without any authentication credentials and without any interaction from users or administrators. Key characteristics of the attack include:

• Remote Exploitation: Attackers can exploit this vulnerability from anywhere on the network that can reach the vulnerable printer
• No Authentication Required: The vulnerability can be exploited without valid credentials
• No User Interaction: Exploitation does not require any action from printer users or administrators
• Conditional Trigger: The vulnerability only affects devices with IPsec explicitly enabled in the FutureSmart 5.6 firmware

The exploitation results in unauthorized disclosure of confidential information, though it does not provide the attacker with the ability to modify data or disrupt printer availability.

Detection Methods for CVE-2023-1707

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual network traffic patterns to or from HP Enterprise LaserJet printers on IPsec ports (UDP 500, UDP 4500)
• Unexpected IPsec negotiation attempts or failures logged by network monitoring tools
• Anomalous connection patterns from external IP addresses to printer management interfaces

Detection Strategies

• Deploy network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) to monitor for suspicious traffic patterns involving affected HP printer models
• Enable and review IPsec-related logging on network firewalls and security appliances to identify abnormal negotiation attempts
• Conduct regular firmware version audits across all HP Enterprise LaserJet and LaserJet Managed devices to identify unpatched systems

Monitoring Recommendations

• Implement network segmentation to isolate enterprise printers and monitor cross-segment traffic for anomalies
• Configure SIEM rules to alert on unusual volumes of traffic or connection attempts to printer devices
• Establish baseline network behavior for printer communications and alert on deviations

How to Mitigate CVE-2023-1707

Immediate Actions Required

• Inventory all HP Enterprise LaserJet and HP LaserJet Managed printers in your environment to identify potentially affected devices
• Check the firmware version on each device to determine if it is running the vulnerable FutureSmart 5.6 firmware
• Review IPsec configuration on affected devices and consider temporarily disabling IPsec until patches can be applied
• Apply network segmentation to limit exposure of vulnerable printers to untrusted network segments

Patch Information

HP has released updated firmware to address this vulnerability. Organizations should download and install the latest firmware version from HP's official support portal. The security bulletin HPSBPI03838 provides detailed information on affected products and remediation steps. Firmware updates should be applied following HP's recommended procedures, including backing up device configurations before applying updates.

Workarounds

• Disable IPsec on affected printers if it is not required for your environment, as the vulnerability only manifests when IPsec is enabled
• Implement strict network access controls to limit which systems can communicate with affected printers
• Use alternative secure communication methods such as TLS/SSL for printer management until firmware updates can be applied

# Example: Check HP printer firmware version via SNMP
snmpget -v2c -c public <printer_ip> 1.3.6.1.2.1.43.5.1.1.17.1

# Example: Network segmentation rule (iptables) to restrict printer access
iptables -A FORWARD -d <printer_subnet> -s ! <trusted_network> -j DROP