CVE-2002-2373
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe default configuration of the TCP/IP printer configuration utility in Apple LaserWriter 12/640 PS printer contains a blank Telnet password, which allows remote attackers to gain access.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe Apple LaserWriter 12/640 PS printer's TCP/IP configuration utility has a blank (empty) Telnet password configured by default, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to connect to the printer's management interface and gain full administrative control.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 12_640CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Apple LaserWriter 12/640 PS on the networkScan your network for devices with the product string 'LaserWriter 12/640 PS' or check your inventory of networked printers. Use SNMP, Bonjour/Avahi, or network scan tools to enumerate printer devices.Affected if An Apple LaserWriter 12/640 PS printer is present on your network
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Verify Telnet service is enabledAttempt to connect to port 23 (Telnet) on the printer's IP address using 'telnet [printer-ip]' or a port scanner. Check if the connection is accepted or refused.Affected if Telnet port 23 is open and accepting connections on the printer
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Check for empty Telnet authenticationConnect via Telnet to the printer and observe whether the management interface is accessible immediately without prompting for a password, or with a blank password entry accepted.Affected if Telnet access grants administrative control without requiring any password or accepting a blank password
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Inspect TCP/IP Configuration Utility settingsAccess the printer's web-based administration panel or use the Apple TCP/IP Configuration Utility software (version 12_640) to view the Telnet password setting under the printer's network or management settings.Affected if The Telnet password field is blank or empty in the configuration
Your environment is affected if you have an Apple LaserWriter 12/640 PS with Telnet enabled and no password configured for Telnet access.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataSet a strong, non-empty Telnet password through the printer's configuration utility, or disable the Telnet service entirely if not required and use more secure management protocols.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing0.5 h
- Review / QA0.5 h
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2002-2373 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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