Beware: Printer Malware Might Expose Your Entire Network

According to the reports of GMA Network in the Philippines and Ang Cui's "Print Me If You Dare" one of the great presentations at the 2011 Chaos Communications Congress, employees or office workers from different companies might need to be more aware in storing or printing the information over the internet connected printer.

Why?

With regards to the finding of Ang Cui, an uncontrollable software can now be embedded in a malicious document to help expose the entire network that is connected on the infected printer.

BoingBoing.net, a group blog site said "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,"

What it does?

If your printer's operating system already contained the said malware and you send/store a document to a printer, it will copied by the machine and post them to an IP address over the internet.

Another thing is, when you use a computer connected printer that has the malicious software, it might cause the printer to scan the local area network (LAN) for vulnerable computers. When the malware finished the scan and detected some vulnerable PC's, it will turned into a proxy that grants hackers to get access to the computers.

What brands/types of printers that are possible to get infected?

The test or finding are found first when Cui reverse-engineered the process of updating the firmware on Hewlett-Packard printers. But he also believes that the issue of vulnerabilities to the attack might be present on other printer brands, models or products.

HP had already fixed the problem and the patch update is now available, Owners are now urged to apply the latest update because when the printers got the malicious software in the operating system it can handle or control the updates of the printer and can falsely report the new patch against it.

If you want to know more about HP, visit their website at HP.com or you can get their products from different merchants online that sell good quality HP inkjets and laser toner cartridges products.

Denise Rasalan
Owner, Great Prints Solutions

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