HP says LaserJet firmware update fixes hacking issue

Last November, an issue was discovered inside the firmware of HP's LaserJet printers that, if exploited by hackers, could have led to having the printers behing highjacked by others. Today, HP released its promised firmware update for its LaserJet printers that it claims fixes the exploit.

In a press release, The company stated:

HP has built a firmware update to mitigate this issue and is communicating this proactively to customers and partners. No customer has reported unauthorized access to HP. HP reiterates its recommendation to follow best practices for securing devices by placing printers behind a firewall and, where possible, disabling remote firmware upload on exposed printers.

The actual drivers can be accessed and downloaded via HP's support web page in the Drivers selection.

The original flaw was discovered by researchers Salvatore Stolfo and Ang Cui at Columbia University. At the time the researchers suggested that the exploit could be used by hackers to actually set printers on fire. In November, HP denied that could happen saying, "HP LaserJet printers have a hardware element called a 'thermal breaker' that is designed to prevent the fuser from overheating or causing a fire. It cannot be overcome by a firmware change or this proposed vulnerability."