BleepingComputer.com: Infected Printer Memory

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Infected Printer Memory can a virus hide in the a printer

#1 Layback Bear

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Posted 21 June 2008 - 09:33 AM

Just thinking a little while drinking alot of coffee. Can a virus/malware/ect. hide in you printer? Should a person have there printers turned on when running a scan for such things that are bad.

#2 Galadriel

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Posted 22 June 2008 - 05:39 PM

That's an interesting question. And it is one that doesn't come up frequently. The short answer is yes, it is possible for printers to be infected/hacked/remote controlled. The longer answer is that it is harder to do it to a printer than a PC. So infections are rare and mostly involve network printers. And as for scanning for viruses on a printer, none of the AVs actually scan them as far as I know, so leaving them connected would not make any difference. One way to make sure is to only connect the printer when you need it. Otherwise, leave it off. That's what I do.

Here's an interesting article on the subject. (It's from last year, but still worth a read)

The Surprising Security Threat: Your Printers

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#3 Layback Bear

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Posted 22 June 2008 - 08:00 PM

Thank you for getting back. I went to that site, very interesting. I do leave my printers off when not in use; just because they don't use power and create heat. Now I also leave them off for security. THANKS for the info.