6500e FirmwareOperating system · Lexmark

CVE-2018-18894

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-03-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Certain older Lexmark devices (C, M, X, and 6500e before 2018-12-18) contain a directory traversal vulnerability in the embedded web server.

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 · moderate confidence

Directory traversal vulnerability in the embedded web server of older Lexmark devices (C, M, X, and 6500e series) allows remote attackers to access arbitrary files on the filesystem via specially crafted HTTP requests, potentially exposing sensitive system files and configuration data.

MitigationApply the vendor firmware update released on or after 2018-12-18 to the affected Lexmark devices, and restrict external access to the device web interface where possible.

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
6500e FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< lhs60.jr.p683
C748 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< lhs60.cm4.p683
C79x FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< lhs60.hc.p683
C925 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< lhs60.hv.p683
C95x FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< lhs60.tp.p683
Cs41x FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< lw71.vy2.p216
Cs51x FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< lw71.vy4.p216
Cs748 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:<= lhs60.cm4.p683

CVSS 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
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the Lexmark device model
    Check the device label or access the embedded web server landing page to confirm the exact model number (C748, C79x, C925, C95x, Cs41x, Cs51x, Cs748, or 6500e series).
    Affected if The device model matches one of the affected product families listed in the CVE.
  2. Check the installed firmware version
    Access the embedded web server (usually via http://<device-ip>) and navigate to the firmware or version information page, or print a configuration page from the device control panel to view the firmware version string.
    Affected if The firmware version is earlier than the specific threshold for your model: 6500e < lhs60.jr.p683, C748 < lhs60.cm4.p683, C79x < lhs60.hc.p683, C925 < lhs60.hv.p683, C95x < lhs60.tp.p683, Cs41x < lw71.vy2.p216, Cs51x < lw71.vy4.p683, Cs748 <= lhs60.cm4.p683.
  3. Verify the embedded web server is enabled
    Attempt to access the device web interface via HTTP or HTTPS on the standard ports (typically 80 or 443). If the login page loads, the web server is active.
    Affected if The embedded web server is accessible and responding to HTTP requests, which is required for the directory traversal exploit to be reachable.
  4. Assess network exposure of the web interface
    Check the device network configuration to determine if the web server is bound to external/network interfaces or only to localhost/internal interfaces. This can be verified via the device network settings page or by attempting access from an external host.
    Affected if The web interface is exposed to untrusted networks, allowing remote attackers to send the specially crafted HTTP requests described in the CVE.

You are affected if your Lexmark device model is in the affected list, the firmware version is below the specified threshold, and the embedded web server is accessible to potential attackers.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor firmware update released on or after 2018-12-18 to the affected Lexmark devices, and restrict external access to the device web interface where possible.

Fix this in 6500e Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-18894 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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