bo774@freenet.carleton.ca
Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2019 13:06:33 -0400
Russia may be a new player, but I first became concerned about printer
hacking when I read the manuals for the shiny new IP connected Lexmark
printers that replaced PC connected and IBM SNA printers back in the 1990s.
I contacted IT security to note that the printers came from the factory with
a standard remote admin login ID and password, suggesting that it might be
wise to change those.
The response was Move Along, Nothing to Worry About Here, even from BC
Ministry of Health IT security.
Fast forward a couple of years and all Lexmark printers in the Ministry have to be disconnected, shut down and purged of a Lexmark Virus.
Things like that happened often enough that new staff were advised to always
stay on my right side, although my view was that sometimes I found it a
challenge to be influential and persuasive, in addition to being correct.
White Hat Social Engineering, persuading and influencing people to make the
correct choice, can be as important as having the best analysis, solution or
mitigation.