HP LaserJet printers vulnerable to attacks

All that was required to compromise the printers was a maliciously crafted print job, either sent by someone with access to the printer or by someone remotely if the printer is connected directly to the Internet, according to Stolfo.

Stolfo said that Cui and he discovered the LaserJet vulnerability when doing innovation on vulnerabilities in single-purpose embedded devices just as printers, routers, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phones and digital thermostats. The two researchers plan to release a formal paper describing their findings afterwards HP has had a chance to mitigate the issue, he said.

"The specific vulnerability exists for some HP LaserJet devices if placed on a public internet without a firewall," the company said. "In a private network, some printers may be vulnerable if a malicious effort is made to modify the firmware of the device by a trusted party on the network."

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