CVE-2018-17944
CWE-200Published: March 12, 2019· Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Official Description
On certain Lexmark devices that communicate with an LDAP or SMTP server, a malicious administrator can discover LDAP or SMTP credentials by changing that server's hostname to one that they control, and then capturing the credentials that are sent there. This occurs because stored credentials are not automatically deleted upon that type of hostname change.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2018-17944 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.
Exploitation requires high privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), with a CVSS base score of 4.9.
From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-200): Information exposure vulnerabilities leak sensitive data to unauthorized actors.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
Official Patches & Advisories
All References (2)
Quick Facts
Related CVEs (CWE-200)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2018-17944 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts