Article: The Surprising Security Threat Your Printers

An interesting 3 page article, as I definitely remember some past worms (e.g., Bugbear) that could infect network based printers and waste tons of paper. This article speculates that as other resources are hardened, currently unpatched resources like printers could become the next target?

Article: The Surprising Security Threat Your Printers
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=277746

QUOTE: Networked printers — yes, printers — can open your corporate network to malicious attacks. They need security patches, too

... He described the kinds of mischief you could do with a compromised printer, including password-catching, password-snarfing (changing passwords), hijacking functions, grabbing print jobs and playing with a billing program.  O’Connor, who says he has proved in his research lab that these hacks are possible, showed a video of himself exploiting these vulnerabilities in his lab during his Black Hat presentation.

... The question remains how many IT departments apply security patches to their printers. “One of the reasons this is a particularly nasty problem is that people don’t update their printer software,” security technologist Bruce Schneier wrote in his blog.

... The apathy toward printer security isn’t surprising, since printer attacks have been few and far between in recent years. That’s mostly because, right now, it’s easier just to hack PCs and laptops, says Dean Turner, senior manager for security response at Symantec Corp. But as those systems become more secure through tougher security standards and best practices, attackers will turn their tools to the next low-hanging fruit, Turner says. And unprotected printers are a logical target.

Bugbear and other viruses that can impact network printers
http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=description&virus_k=99728
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=printer+virus