Over the years, there have been several types of malware that have targeted printers, including. Here are some:
Print Spooler Vulnerabilities: These vulnerabilities allow attackers to execute code on a printer by exploiting flaws in the print spooler service. One such example is the PrintNightmare vulnerability, which was discovered in 2021 and affected all versions of Windows.
Cross-Site Printing Attacks: In a cross-site printing attack, an attacker can trick a user into printing a document that contains malicious code. This code can then exploit vulnerabilities in the printer firmware to take control of the device.
Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attacks: Some malware can turn printers into bots and use them to launch DDoS attacks against other systems on the network or the internet.
Trojan Horse Attacks: Trojan horse malware can disguise itself as a legitimate printer driver or software update and trick users into downloading and installing it. Once installed, the malware can steal sensitive information or take control of the printer.
To protect against these and other printer malware threats, it's essential to implement security best practices, such as keeping firmware up-to-date, using strong passwords, and limiting access to printers on your network.
For this its essential to have a management tool that can create an overview of the situation quickly and assist with pushing firmware updates quickly.