MC2 Post 1118 Much Much More than Just a Lowly Printer

The Smoking Gun of Printers and iPhones.

From The Press Usually Gets it Wrong Dept. 

  

"Thinking....Where There's SMOKE 

There's Fire!!!"

HP Douses Firebomb Printer Hack Threat

In a demo, Columbia University's Professor Salvatore Stolfo and Ang Cui show how it might be possible to instruct a hacked printer to overheat a component used to dry ink, causing paper to heat up and eventually smoke. In the demo a thermal switch caused the printer to shut down before a fire started, but the researchers reckon this too could be disabled, creating a possible mechanism for hackers to use vulnerable printers to start fires.

Link:  http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/30/hp_probes_fire_started_printer_vuln/ 

TinyURL:  http://tinyurl.com/7w4g2zy

The security shortcoming stems from a failure to mandate digitally signed firmware updates sent to (at least older) printers...Pre-2009 HP Printers didn't have digitally signed firmware.

HP told MSNBC, which was the first to report the vulnerability, that its LaserJet printers have required digitally signed firmware updates since 2009. The printer giant said the researchers must have used older models.

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There was also a story about an iPhone catching 

"Fire on a Plane to Australia"...

Actually it was Just Smoking in the Non-Smoking Area....Wingman.

iPhone Battery Starts Smoking on a Plane

Link:  http://www.macgasm.net/2011/11/28/iphone-battery-starts-smoking-plane-smoking-signs/

TinyURL:  http://tinyurl.com/83skxlx

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The Better Story About Printers but Not as Headline Grabbing...

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From:  http://www.economist.com

3D Printing

Difference Engine: Making it

Great Story about Leno's Garage too.

Link:  http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/11/3d-printing?fsrc=scn/tw/te/bl/differenceenginemakingit

TinyURL:  http://tinyurl.com/89cpfay

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Also mentioned in 3D Printing Article was Blender 3D.

Blender is the free open source 3D content creation suite, available for all major operating systems under the 

GNU General Public License..

Link:  http://www.blender.org/

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Converting an Inkjet Printer to Print PCBs

PCB: Printed Circuit Boards.

Link:  http://www.instructables.com/id/Converting-an-Inkjet-Printer-to-Print-PCBs/

TinyURL:  http://tinyurl.com/7jgpya2

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