Urgent Printer Security Alert

July 7, 2025

Thanks to Kardon for originally reporting on this issue.

A newly reported security flaw could put your office printers, and your entire network, at risk.

What’s Going On?

Researchers at Rapid7 recently uncovered eight new security vulnerabilities affecting over 700 printer models, including 689 devices from Brother and 59 others from brands like Fujifilm, Toshiba Tec, Ricoh, and Konica Minolta. These vulnerabilities impact seemingly innocuous office equipment, including printers, scanners, and label-makers.

One Critical Flaw Stands Out

Among the issues is a particularly serious vulnerability: CVE-2024-51978. It’s rated “critical” with a CVSS score of 9.8 out of 10. (CVSS stands for Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which helps rank the severity of security flaws.) This flaw allows an attacker to recreate the default admin password using only the printer’s serial number. From there, they can gain full system access and carry out malicious activity.

What You Should Do Right Now

If your business has a Brother printer or any of the other affected brands, it’s time to take a few proactive steps:

Check If Your Device Is on the List: Brother has published a list of impacted models here: Brother Security Advisory PDF. For other brands (Fujifilm, Ricoh, Toshiba Tec, Konica Minolta), visit the manufacturer’s website or your IT provider for guidance.
Change Your Admin Password: If you’re still using the default credentials, update them immediately. Use a strong password and store it in a password manager. This step alone can block many attack attempts.
Update the Firmware: Seven of the eight vulnerabilities can be fixed with a firmware update. If you haven’t updated your printer’s firmware recently – or let’s be honest, ever – now is the time.
Reach Out to Your IT Provider: If managing this feels overwhelming, or you’re unsure whether your printers are vulnerable, let Network 1 or your IT partner handle it for you. That’s what we’re here for.

Stay Ahead of the Next Threat

Cybersecurity isn’t just about servers and email; it includes the everyday devices quietly sitting in your office minding their own business. A compromised printer can open the door to larger network breaches, so don’t let outdated firmware or default passwords become your weak link.

Need help assessing your risk or managing device updates? Contact us today to talk about our managed services and learn if we are a good fit for your company, so we can ensure your environment is secure, updated, and resilient.

David Gracey: Since its founding in 1998, David has grown Network 1 into a top-notch IT services company dedicated to delivering the best solutions for Atlanta’s small and mid-size businesses. His responsibilities include creating the vision and strategy for its growth and establishing the culture of Network 1.

Network 1 designs, builds and supports the IT you need to run your business more securely, productively and successfully. Whether you want to outsource all of your IT needs to a reliable, responsive, service-oriented company, or need to supplement the work of your internal IT staff, we will carefully evaluate where you are now, discuss where you want to go and implement and support a plan to get you there with as little interruption as possible.

Comments are closed for this post.