Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings • Hacker News Board

Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#71

Post by hannibalhorn » Tue, Aug 21, 2012, 3:44 PM UTC

bad_user wrote: post #67

munin wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it's worth noting, I think, that Schneier is pretty out of touch when it comes to the whole "open wireless" thing, because he leaves himself open to a bunch of local-only attacks. he's correct that your computer should be able to withstand being on the 'open' internet, since it is every time you take it to work or a coffee shop or something, but, don't be an idiot, just turn WPA2 on at your house. many access points…

he leaves himself open to a bunch of local-only attacks What kind of attacks might those be? Consider the case of a computer connected to the network with no open ports (other than say, 25 for SSH), with a properly configured firewall, that connects to the Internet through a VPN and with an operating system that auto-updates itself. What could you do to it from inside the network?

I secure mine mostly so that a neighbor won't download torrents on my connection and thus negatively impact my experience. I imagine in an actual house it's not as necessary, but I live in a zone of large buildings and usually see 20+ networks visible.

Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#72

Post by cityhall » Tue, Aug 21, 2012, 3:45 PM UTC

SoftwareMaven wrote: post #32

One poster said his/her printer did it on a machine not connected to the network, so it may not be a print server scanning thing.

I think he meant that his printer was still connected but he unplugged his Mac.

Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#73

Post by axx » Tue, Aug 21, 2012, 3:45 PM UTC

With IPv6 and public IPs this is going to be so much fun. :)

Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#74

Post by pasbesoin » Tue, Aug 21, 2012, 3:46 PM UTC

munin wrote: post #62

cs702 wrote: post #41

Many, perhaps most network-connected printers, NAS units, and other devices (e.g., home-automation hardware) simply assume that the local network they connect to will be securely protected from external attack, so they're not configured to withstand even the simplest of attacks. This is exactly the opposite of what many security experts recommend: ideally all devices should be secure regardless of whether the network…

it's worth noting, I think, that Schneier is pretty out of touch when it comes to the whole "open wireless" thing, because he leaves himself open to a bunch of local-only attacks. he's correct that your computer should be able to withstand being on the 'open' internet, since it is every time you take it to work or a coffee shop or something, but, don't be an idiot, just turn WPA2 on at your house. many access points…

If they're decent, the guest ID/config can have its own password. Approved guests get wireless without having to put it up and take it down. Unapproved "guests" remain unapproved.

Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#75

Post by pasbesoin » Tue, Aug 21, 2012, 3:48 PM UTC

bad_user wrote: post #67

munin wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it's worth noting, I think, that Schneier is pretty out of touch when it comes to the whole "open wireless" thing, because he leaves himself open to a bunch of local-only attacks. he's correct that your computer should be able to withstand being on the 'open' internet, since it is every time you take it to work or a coffee shop or something, but, don't be an idiot, just turn WPA2 on at your house. many access points…

he leaves himself open to a bunch of local-only attacks What kind of attacks might those be? Consider the case of a computer connected to the network with no open ports (other than say, 25 for SSH), with a properly configured firewall, that connects to the Internet through a VPN and with an operating system that auto-updates itself. What could you do to it from inside the network?

Well, if his Internet connection is open, then he's open to being prosecuted for what other people might download on it.

As a celebrity, he probably has some substantial de facto immunity against this. (One blog post, and "the Internet" will show up on his side.) The rest of us... not so much.

Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#76

Post by davidcuddeback » Tue, Aug 21, 2012, 3:50 PM UTC

ahi wrote: post #53

fein wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

It was certainly true at large LAN parties. I had to reinstall Windows at QuakeCon one year, and it was nearly impossible to win the race against the malware floating around the network. Putting your computer on the same LAN as 3000 gamers (most of whom download a lot of warez) isn't exactly the same as connecting your computer to the internet through a firewall, so I'm not sure if my experience at QuakeCon generalizes to a typical PC setup.

Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#77

Post by ANH » Tue, Aug 21, 2012, 3:50 PM UTC

samstave wrote: post #59

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 bad…

Similar scenario happened where I was working one summer. The printer in the office I was borrowing started printing porn while I was out. "I swear it wasn't me!" Not sure if they identified the guilty party.

Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#78

Post by MarvinYork » Tue, Aug 21, 2012, 3:55 PM UTC

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

Welcome to hecklernews.

Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#79

Post by tantalor » Tue, Aug 21, 2012, 3:57 PM UTC

samstave wrote: post #59

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 bad…

> He was previously thought to be a married straight guy.

Not sure why this is relevant. Are you saying Lockheed has/had a don't-ask-don't-tell policy?

Re: Printers are spontaneously printing odd "SQL" strings

#80

Post by cantankerous » Tue, Aug 21, 2012, 4:04 PM UTC

For what it's worth. This issue (or an issue very similar to this issue) has been discussed on the nmap seclist.

From the email:

"....However, I've noticed a problem now that I've put this into production. When it scans a network printer, the printer spews out garbage, I have a couple wads of paper on my desk with one or two lines of garbage at the top of each page."

http://seclists.org/nmap-dev/2006/q3/406