CVE-2011-4538
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 · uneditedLexmark X, W, T, E, and C devices before 2012-02-09 allow attackers to obtain sensitive information by reading passwords within exported settings.
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 confidenceLexmark printer devices across multiple model lines (X, W, T, E, C) contain a vulnerability where sensitive information, specifically passwords, can be obtained by reading exported device settings. The settings export functionality fails to properly protect or encrypt password data, allowing an attacker with access to the exported settings file to recover plaintext credentials.
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<= lp.sp.p108<= lp.sp.p108<= lp.sp.p108<= lr.fl.p224c<= lr.fl.p224c<= lr.fl.p224c<= lr.mn.p224a<= lr.mn.p224aCVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
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 the Lexmark device modelAccess the printer's web interface or print a configuration page to determine the exact model number (X860, X862, X864, X734, X736, X738, X651, or X652)Affected if The model is one of the listed affected models (X860, X862, X864, X734, X736, X738, X651, X652)
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Check the installed firmware versionAccess the printer's web interface under 'Settings' or 'Firmware' section, or print a configuration/菜单 page that displays firmware informationAffected if The firmware version falls within the affected ranges: X860/X862/X864 at lp.sp.p108 or lower; X734/X736/X738 at lr.fl.p224c or lower; X651/X652 at lr.mn.p224a or lower
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Locate the settings export functionNavigate to the printer's web interface and look for 'Export Settings', 'Configuration Export', 'Backup Settings', or similar functionality typically found under Settings, Management, or Maintenance menusAffected if The settings export feature exists and is accessible on the device
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Inspect exported settings for plaintext passwordsIf settings have been exported, open the configuration file in a text editor and search for password fields or credentials sections. Check if passwords appear in plaintext rather than encrypted or hashedAffected if The exported settings file contains readable plaintext passwords or credentials that should have been protected
A device is affected if it is one of the listed Lexmark models (X860, X862, X864, X734, X736, X738, X651, X652) running firmware at or below the specified version limits AND the settings export feature has been used, revealing plaintext passwords in the exported configuration.
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 dataUpdate Lexmark device firmware to a version released on or after 2012-02-09. Until patching is possible, restrict access to the settings export feature and monitor for unauthorized access to configuration exports.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-4538 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
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-2011-4538 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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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data