Filtered by: Scitech
SciTech
Printer malware can expose entire local network
Office workers may need to be more careful in printing their documents from network printers: arbitrary software can be embedded in a malicious document to expose the entire network to which the printer is connected.
The finding was detailed in Ang Cui's "Print Me If You Dare,"one of the presentations at the 2011 Chaos Communications Congress (28C3), group blog site BoingBoing.net reported.
"Cui discovered that he could load arbitrary software into any printer by embedding it in a malicious document or by connecting to the printer online," it said.
In his presentation, he performed two demonstrations, the first of which involved sending a document to a printer that contained a malicious version of the OS.
This caused the printer to copy the documents it printed and post them to an IP address on the Internet.
A second demonstration involved taking over a remote printer with a malicious document, causing that printer to scan the local area network for vulnerable PCs.
Once a vulnerable PC was found, it was compromised and turned it into a proxy that grants access through the firewall.
"The cases he imagined for getting malware into printers were very good: send a resume to HR, wait for them to print it, take over the network and pwn the company," BoingBoing said.
Cui said he found the vulnerabilities in printers after he reverse-engineered the firmware-update process for Hewlett-Packard printers.
He said he gave HP a month to issue patches for the vulnerabilities he discovered, and HP now has new firmware available that fixes this.
Cui urged owners of HPs printer to apply the latest patch, as malware could be crafted to take over a printer and then falsely report that it has accepted the patch.
On the other hand, Cui said he also believes that these vulnerabilities are likely present on non-HP printers. — TJD, GMA News
Find out your candidates' profile
Find the latest news
Find out individual candidate platforms
Choose your candidates and print out your selection.
Voter Demographics
More Videos
Most Popular