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Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

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Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#51

Post by dfc »

bcl wrote: post #36
stordoff wrote: post #2

> "[...] we're all forwarding port 9100 or 631 to our printer to allow ourselves to print from outside the network, which sets up an HTTP server at that address open to the internet. All it takes is for somebody to put the appropriate GET request in [...]" > "Both of our printers have public IP addresses" It looks like the printer are publicly accessible, and some automated tool (nmap?) is just scanning them for vuln…

When nmap scans port 9100 it doesn't send anything (at least as of nmap 6.00 using -sV). It is probably a higher level vulnerability scanner, possibly metasploit, using nmap to discover open ports and then probe deeper on its own.

Nmap avoids sending to 9100 specifically to avoid sending data that the printer may misinterpret as data to be written to a page. You need to give it the --allports option.

   --allports (Don't exclude any ports from version detection) .
       By default, Nmap version detection skips TCP port 9100 because some
       printers simply print anything sent to that port, leading to dozens
       of pages of HTTP GET requests, binary SSL session requests, etc.
       This behavior can be changed by modifying or removing the Exclude
       directive in nmap-service-probes, or you can specify --allports to
       scan all ports regardless of any Exclude directive.

Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#52

Post by podperson »

doctorwho wrote: post #48

No need to worry, all Mac's are virus, malware and attack proof and so (by the law of distortion of reality) are any devices or networks attached to a Mac. Go about your business and forget about that pesky "security" thing everyone else likes to talk about. Just etch a picture of Steve striking a thoughtful pose on the lid of your laptop and all your problems will be forgotten.

Thanks for injecting helpful -- not to mention hilariously witty -- points into this conversation. You left out the following points:

* Apple's stuff is incredibly overpriced

* Apple never invented anything, it's just good at marketing

* Apple's lawsuits are all based on rounded rectangles

* Xerox invented the GUI from scratch and it was perfect

* Anyone who uses an Apple device is a hipster fanboi cultist

Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#53

Post by ahi »

fein wrote: post #16
freehunter wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're always being scanned for everything. If I got a penny for every time my company was swept by a scanner, I'd be making more than my salary.

This is almost an understatement. My home servers get SLAMMED on a daily basis by a whole wonderful plethora of bots. Most recently has been Muieblackcat. Going on the whole salary analogy: I'd make my current salary plus a bit if I had a penny for ever scan on the box in my living room. I keep the Ukrainian IP's off my blacklist just for fun. Nothing sensitive on the server, just my web playpen. I kind of hope that…

I vaguely recall that unpatched XP averages just a couple minutes on a network before being owned. If you didn't have the SP on a disc it was a race between the updates and the bots. That might have been old linux propaganda though.

Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#55

Post by alanbyrne »

I'm going to guess that the common theme here is that we're all forwarding port 9100 or 631 to our printer to allow ourselves to print from outside the network, which sets up an HTTP server at that address open to the internet.

Seriously?! Ignoring the fact that I can't remember when I last print something, who needs to print to their house from the internet? Can't they just print it when they get home?

Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#56

Post by corin_ »

alanbyrne wrote: post #55

I'm going to guess that the common theme here is that we're all forwarding port 9100 or 631 to our printer to allow ourselves to print from outside the network, which sets up an HTTP server at that address open to the internet. Seriously?! Ignoring the fact that I can't remember when I last print something, who needs to print to their house from the internet? Can't they just print it when they get home?

I've actually found it useful in the past to be able to print stuff when I'm not in the office - not useful enough that I really care about the feature, just that since it's there it saves a small step in the alternative of emailing then having them open and print it.

Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#57

Post by alanbyrne »

I'm going to guess that the common theme here is that we're all forwarding port 9100 or 631 to our printer to allow ourselves to print from outside the network, which sets up an HTTP server at that address open to the internet.

Seriously?! Ignoring the fact that I can't remember when I last print something, who needs to print to their house from the internet? Can't they just print it when they get home?

Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#58

Post by gonzo »

podperson wrote: post #52
doctorwho wrote: post #48

No need to worry, all Mac's are virus, malware and attack proof and so (by the law of distortion of reality) are any devices or networks attached to a Mac. Go about your business and forget about that pesky "security" thing everyone else likes to talk about. Just etch a picture of Steve striking a thoughtful pose on the lid of your laptop and all your problems will be forgotten.

Thanks for injecting helpful -- not to mention hilariously witty -- points into this conversation. You left out the following points: * Apple's stuff is incredibly overpriced * Apple never invented anything, it's just good at marketing * Apple's lawsuits are all based on rounded rectangles * Xerox invented the GUI from scratch and it was perfect * Anyone who uses an Apple device is a hipster fanboi cultist

I am not a hipster.

Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#59

Post by samstave »

alanbyrne wrote: post #55

I'm going to guess that the common theme here is that we're all forwarding port 9100 or 631 to our printer to allow ourselves to print from outside the network, which sets up an HTTP server at that address open to the internet. Seriously?! Ignoring the fact that I can't remember when I last print something, who needs to print to their house from the internet? Can't they just print it when they get home?

Semi off topic anecdote: when I was at Lockheed the head of HR came to me with a Manila envelope and said "I need to know who printed this and when! And I need to know now!"

I took the envelope and looked at it... It was a bunch of prints of gay porn and gay porn websites.

After a few minutes of digging, it was revealed to be one of the directors in the company had printed them late the night before. Checking the badge system he wasn't in the building. Checked VPN logs and he was logged in at the time.

He was mistakenly on VPN from his house and printed stuff that went to his default printer which happened to be the one in the office.

He was previously thought to be a married straight guy.

Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#60

Post by jorts »

corin_ wrote: post #56
alanbyrne wrote: post #55

I'm going to guess that the common theme here is that we're all forwarding port 9100 or 631 to our printer to allow ourselves to print from outside the network, which sets up an HTTP server at that address open to the internet. Seriously?! Ignoring the fact that I can't remember when I last print something, who needs to print to their house from the internet? Can't they just print it when they get home?

I've actually found it useful in the past to be able to print stuff when I'm not in the office - not useful enough that I really care about the feature, just that since it's there it saves a small step in the alternative of emailing then having them open and print it.

Why not setup a VPN to your home?
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