Bleeping Computer: Hundreds of HP printer models vulnerable to remote code execution. “HP has published security advisories for three critical-severity vulnerabilities affecting hundreds of its LaserJet Pro, Pagewide Pro, OfficeJet, Enterprise, Large Format, and DeskJet printer models.”
KnowTechie: Canon is encouraging printer owners to break DRM so they can use ink cartridges. “Printers that use DRM-locked ink cartridges are the worst. Many of the major brands use them, but things could be changing. Thanks to global chip shortages, Canon Germany is now offering guidance on how to break its own DRM system.”
The Verge: How to print a document when you don’t own a printer. “It can be difficult to figure out what to do when you’re asked to provide a hard copy of a document but don’t have access to a printer at home. While it used to be a safe bet that everyone had a printer at home, that’s no longer the case — but if you don’t have one, odds are that at some point, you’ll come across someone who hasn’t gotten the memo and insists on a hard copy. If you’ve found yourself in this situation, you’ve got options. To help, I’ve researched the various methods you can use to get a document from your computer to whoever needs it and have come up with a few tips and considerations for printing without your own printer.” One more option if you’re in a hurry: if your document is […]
The Register: Microsoft admits to yet more printing problems in Windows as back-at-the-office folks asked for admin credentials. “Microsoft’s brand new operating system, Windows 11, appears to be just as iffy when it comes to printing as its predecessors. The latest problem turned up in the Windows Release Health dashboard last week and warned that a prompt for administration credentials might pop up when the print server and client are in different time zones.”
Bleeping Computer: Canon sued for disabling scanner when printers run out of ink. “Canon USA is being sued for not allowing owners of certain printers to use the scanner or faxing functions if they run out of ink. David Leacraft, a customer of Canon, filed the class action lawsuit on Tuesday alleging deceptive marketing and unjust enrichment by the printer manufacturer.”
ThreatPost: Microsoft Warns: Another Unpatched PrintNightmare Zero-Day. “One day after dropping its scheduled August Patch Tuesday update, Microsoft issued a warning about yet another unpatched privilege escalation/remote code-execution (RCE) vulnerability in the Windows Print Spooler. The zero-day bug, tracked as CVE-2021-36958, carries a CVSS vulnerability-severity scale rating of 7.3, meaning that it’s rated as ‘important.’”
BetaNews: Microsoft finally fixes PrintNightmare vulnerability with KB5005031 and KB5005033 updates. “To help address the ongoing problems with the so-called PrintNightmare vulnerability (CVE-2021-34527), Microsoft has announced a change to the default behavior of the Point and Print feature in Windows. The change has been delivered via the KB5005033 and KB5005031 update and means that in order to install printer drivers, users will have to have administrative privileges.”
The Register: Paperless office? 2.8 trillion pages printed in 2020, down by 14% or 450 billion sheets . “Around 450 billion fewer pages were printed from home and office devices in 2020 as COVID-19 disrupted the world of work. The direction of travel has been obvious in recent times: people were printing less even before the pandemic took hold, but the decline was sharper last year as volumes plunged 14 per cent on 2019 levels to a total of 2.8 trillion pages, according to IDC.”
BetaNews: Microsoft releases KB5005392 and KB5005394 emergency patches for Windows printer and scanner problems. “There have been a spate of problems with printing in Windows recently, including issues introduced by updates from Microsoft. The most recent problems came for people who installed updates released this Patch Tuesday. Some found they were unable to print or scan after installing the updates, and now Microsoft has released a couple of out-of-band patches — KB5005394 for Windows 10 and KB5005392 for Windows 7.”
The Register: For a true display of wealth, dab printer ink behind your ears instead of Chanel No. 5 . “Dipping its nib in one inkwell before delicately wiping off the excess on some blotting paper, Which? found that a multipack of colour ink (cyan, magenta, yellow) for the WorkForce WF-7210DTW printer costs £75.49 from Epson. ‘This works out at an astonishing £2,410 a litre – or £1,369 for a pint,’ said Which?.” £1,369 works out to just over $1,887 USD.
BetaNews: Yet another Windows update is causing yet more printer problems. “Microsoft has issued a warning that the July security updates released by the company can lead to printing and scanning issues. The problem affects not only Windows 10, but also Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows Server.”
BetaNews: 0patch comes to the rescue with free micropatches for Windows PrintNightmare vulnerability. “While Microsoft has acknowledged that there is a security flaw in Windows Print Spooler that could lead to remotely compromised systems, the company has only offered workarounds rather than a patch. And so 0patch — no stranger to helping out in such situations — has stepped up to the plate and issued free micropatches of its own.”
BetaNews: Windows 10 update farce continues as Microsoft pulls the plug on problematic printing patch. “Over the last week or so, we have reported about printing problems that followed the release of March’s updates, and the subsequent string of patches that not only failed to fix things but, in many cases, actually made things worse. Now the fubar’d fix has been deemed so problematic that Microsoft has taken the decision to pull it.”
Neowin: Microsoft releases additional updates to resolve some more printer problems. “The updates should be available – as optional – to users on Windows 10 versions 1507, 1607, 1803, 1809, 1909, 2004, 20H2, and Insiders on 21H1, but Microsoft recommends you to proceed with the update only if you’re affected by the problem.”
BetaNews: Microsoft admits Windows 10 updates are causing even more printer problems than first thought. “Following reports that a recent update to Windows 10 was causing blue screens as well as problems with printing, Microsoft issued a new series of updates to address the issues. But it seems that the problems caused by this month’s Patch Tuesday updates are actually worse than first thought.”
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