CyberNews security experts breached nearly 28,000 unprotected printers worldwide and had them print a guide to protecting and securing these devices.
Most of us know the importance of using antivirus, anti-malware , and VPN to secure our computers, phones, and other devices. However, we often don't think about printers. CyberNews researchers decided to show how easy it is to hack these devices and how important it is to invest in their protection.
In order to help as many people as possible protect their devices from potential attacks, the security gained access to 27,944 printers around the world and forced the compromised devices to print out a short 5-step guide on how to protect a printer. There was also a link to a more detailed version of the guide on the company's site.
The experiment
Initially, the researchers used Internet of Things (IoT) search engines to search for exposed devices that used common printer ports and protocols. After the first filtering, the researchers had 800,000 printers that had network printing capabilities enabled and were accessible over the Internet.
While this doesn't mean that all 800,000 printers were necessarily vulnerable to cyberattacks, the researchers found that they were able to successfully target around 500,000 of these devices.
The research team then selected a sample of 50,000 printers, created a custom printing script , and printed PDF documents to 27,944 unprotected devices.
How did the attacks on printers happen?
Before executing the attacks, the researchers gathered all available targets. They searched for IP addresses with open ports on specialized IoT search engines, such as Shodan and Censys.
From 800,000+ available printers, they selected a sample of 50,000 devices which they attempted to hack to make them print the driver regarding printer security.
The sample selection was based on:
- Device location (to hack printers around the world)
- Device manufacturer
- Protocols used to access printers
They then created a custom script specifically designed to target the printing process, without allowing access to any other features or data stored on the printers.
The script affected the printing process on non-secure printers and forced them to print the security driver.
Results
Ultimately, the researchers managed to compromise 27,944 printers (out of 50,000), which equates to a 56% success rate. Considering this rate, one can say that out of 800,000 internet-connected printers worldwide, at least 447,000 are unprotected.
These numbers speak volumes about the general lack of protection for devices connected to the internet, globally.
Many users and organizations still use Internet-connected devices without thinking about security. This means that printers can put the entire corporate or home network at risk.
Many attacks have targeted printers, yet users do not seem to be particularly aware.
Companies and security experts should not stop informing and advising about printer security (as did these researchers, who demonstrated the risk by carrying out an attack). Also, stricter cybersecurity policies should be implemented among organizations .
How to protect your printers?
1. Secure your printing ports and restrict your printer's wireless connections to your router. Configure your network settings so that your printer only responds to commands that come through specified ports on your network router. The standard protocol for secure printing on new printers is IPPS over SSL port 443.
2. Use a firewall.
3. Update your printer firmware to the latest version. Printer manufacturers regularly patch known vulnerabilities in firmware.
4. Change the default password.
For more detailed information about printer security, read the company's guide here.
