How a Printer Helped Hack a CEO—

It started with a Paper Jam.

The CEO of a mid-sized tech company had no idea that the office printer—the same one used daily to print reports and memos—was the hacker's entry point. Late one Friday evening, a cybersecurity hobbyist turned criminal remotely accessed the printer using its outdated firmware and default admin password.

Within minutes, he had access to the printer’s entire memory bank—documents scanned, emails forwarded, and even cached credentials for cloud storage. But he didn’t stop there.

The printer was connected to the company’s internal network, and once inside, the hacker launched a privilege escalation attack. He found a spreadsheet labeled "Exec_Comp_Package.xlsx" stored on the CEO’s cloud folder. It contained personal financial information, login credentials, and VPN keys.

By Monday morning, the hacker had drained a personal crypto wallet, redirected business email accounts, and spoofed a message to the CFO authorizing a fake wire transfer.

All from a printer.

For news stories about this scenario happening, visit The Hacker News Here.

Here are two easy ways to protect your company today:

1. Change Default Credentials Immediately
Printers and IoT devices often come with factory-set usernames and passwords that are publicly known. Change them as soon as the device is set up. Use strong, unique passwords and store them securely.

2. Keep Firmware Updated
Outdated firmware can have vulnerabilities that hackers exploit. Regularly check for and install firmware updates provided by the manufacturer. This closes security gaps and keeps your device protected against known threats.

Need more help securing your office equipment? Contact us today for a free cybersecurity consultation and keep your business one step ahead of the threat.