| Generation | Approx. Years | Version Numbers | OS Support | Key Features | |------------|---------------|----------------|------------|---------------| | | 2008–2012 | 1.1 – 1.8 | Win XP/Vista/7, Mac 10.5-10.9 | Twain-only, basic PDF, WIA fallback | | Legacy 2 | 2012–2016 | 2.1 – 2.5 | Win 7/8/8.1, Mac 10.7-10.12 | Added "Scan to Email" (MAPI), JPEG2000 | | Legacy 3 | 2016–2019 | 3.0 – 3.8 | Win 7/8.1/10 (32/64), Mac 10.11-10.15 | UI refresh, auto document size detection | | Transition | 2019–2020 | 4.0 – 4.2 | Win 10/11, Mac 10.14+ | Dropped Twain legacy, added WSD scan | | Modern | 2020+ | 5.x (MF Scan Utility 2) | Win 10/11, Mac 11+ | Cloud connectors, dark mode, telemetry |
| CVE | Version affected | Risk | |------|----------------|------| | CVE-2018-15811 | MF Scan Utility v2.1–2.3 | DLL hijacking via msimg32.dll in install path | | CVE-2019-19275 | v3.0–3.4 | Plaintext credential logging to %TEMP%\CanonMF.log | | CVE-2020-12874 | v3.5–3.8 | SMB relay attack (no signing enforcement) |
1. Executive Summary The Canon MF Scan Utility (part of the MF Toolbox family) is the proprietary TWAIN/WIA driver interface and standalone application for Canon’s multifunction laser printers (MF series). Older versions (pre-2020, e.g., v2.x, v3.x, v4.x for Windows 7/8, and early macOS versions) differ fundamentally from modern Canon Scan Utility 2 (latest v2.x or "MF Scan Utility 2").
Legacy versions offer superior local network discovery , faster single-page TIFF/PDF generation , and no telemetry . However, they lack modern security protocols (TLS 1.2+ for cloud upload) and high-DPI scaling for 4K monitors. 2. Version Naming & Historical Context Canon has confusing naming: "MF Scan Utility" vs "MF Toolbox."