Printer Security ‐ Redux
Back in January, I wrote an article on the subject of printer security and how printers can be compromised by hackers to gain access to your network and to all the information that you would rather not exist in the public domain.
What I outlined was an elaborate scheme that, perhaps, a subset of the population may dismiss as highly unlikely.
So what if I outlined something even simpler this time around? And what if I told you that this was happening today and that a major printer manufacturer has issued a warning about it?
Most printers that we have in our homes these days are Wi-Fi-enabled. Some might say that most THINGS in our homes and places of business are Wi-Fi-enabled because who wants to deal with all those messy wires running around on the floor?
Well, have you ever noticed that when you power down a print device and then power it back up, you don’t have to supply a username and password again?
Why? <Insert pregnant pause here while you folks mull it over>
It's because your credentials are stored on the printer itself, along with other neat little pieces of information like your network identifier or its SSID, if you will. It will also include details on its IP address, the subnet, and the encryption that the network uses.
"Big deal", you’re probably thinking. "You'd have to gain access to my printer to get all that info."
True, but let me ask you this question: When you upgrade or dispose of your printer, you typically unplug it and throw it away or give it back to the company that upgraded you, right?
Let me ask you another: Did you think to go into the BIOS and reset the network interface connection before it left your home or premises? If you DIDN'T think of that, and most do not, then you've just released logon and network information into the public, and it wouldn't take long for someone who was targeting you or your business to extract that information and gain access back into your network.
Canon recently published a warning regarding the discarding of many of their printers because of just this risk. You can find the article here.
We live in funny times, and as we explore this vast and powerful digital landscape, know that we leave traces that lead back to us and to the information we would rather safeguard.
For more information on printer security and how to deal with risks and more, why not reach out to one of the Wide Format Print Professionals at Cansel to discuss the possibilities?
