Researchers Create Drone That Detects Vulnerable Printers

Researchers at a Singapore university have developed a drone that detects vulnerable wireless printers, and then warns the owner to secure the device. According to the researchers, wireless printers in many enterprise environments a weak link.

Companies assume that an attacker near the printer must be to carry out an attack. Through a drone equipped with an Android smartphone this physical gap can be bridged. The researchers made a special Android app that seeks distance from unencrypted wireless office printers. Once the Wi-Fi network printer was given did the app on the smartphone itself as the access point.

Office staff that sends print in this way the documents to the smartphone. Via 3G / 4G then the document is sent to the Dropbox account from the researchers, as this demonstration video on YouTube shows. To leave no traces, the app can also send the print job to the printer. Thus rolls the print job, albeit with some delay, right off the printer.

To prevent this attack method, the researchers developed a second app, called Cyber ​​Security Patrol. Rather than conduct an attack makes this app to take pictures of the compromised printers and sends it to the organization's CIO. Also print the app via WiFi printer instructions to protect the printer. Besides the use of a drone researchers have demonstrated the same attack by an Android smartphone to hide an autonomous vacuum cleaner.