Firmware Attacks on Printers, Cameras, and "Boring" Devices

When organizations think about high-value attack targets, printers and security cameras rarely make the list. That's precisely why Innovo Networks sees these "boring" devices as some of the most consistently underestimated entry points into enterprise networks — attackers know they're overlooked and design their techniques accordingly.

Why "Boring" Devices Are Attractive Targets

Devices like printers, cameras, VoIP phones, and building access control systems typically share a common set of characteristics: they run embedded firmware that's rarely updated, they're often deployed and forgotten once installed, and they're frequently connected to the same network as far more sensitive systems without meaningful segmentation. From an attacker's perspective, this combination makes them an appealing, low-scrutiny foothold.

The Printer Problem

Modern office printers are effectively small computers, running full operating systems and firmware, often with network connectivity, storage, and even web-based management interfaces. Yet printers are rarely included in vulnerability scanning, patch management, or security monitoring programs — despite documented vulnerabilities that have allowed attackers to use compromised printers as a pivot point into broader networks, or to access sensitive documents stored in print queues and memory.

Cameras and Physical Security Systems

Network-connected security cameras and access control systems are particularly ironic targets — devices meant to enhance physical security can become a network security liability if their firmware goes unpatched. Numerous documented vulnerabilities in consumer and commercial camera systems have allowed unauthorized remote access, and in some cases, cameras have been conscripted into large-scale botnets used for broader attacks against other organizations.

VoIP Phones and Other Embedded Devices

VoIP phones, smart displays, and other embedded office equipment often run on outdated embedded operating systems and firmware, rarely receive security updates after initial deployment, and are frequently placed on the general office network without segmentation from more sensitive systems.

Why These Devices Get Deprioritized

• They're not seen as "real" computers, even though functionally many of them are.
• They're managed (if at all) by facilities or a different team than core IT security, creating a gap in ownership.
• Vendors often provide limited or no long-term firmware support, especially for lower-cost consumer-grade equipment sometimes used in commercial environments.
• They rarely appear in standard vulnerability scanning scope, since scans are often configured around traditional IT assets.

Closing the Gap

• Include all network-connected embedded devices in asset inventory, not just traditional computing hardware.
• Segment these devices into isolated network zones, separate from critical business systems and sensitive data.
• Establish firmware update responsibility explicitly, even if it falls to a team outside core, IT security.
• Change default credentials and disable unnecessary services on every device, regardless of how "boring" it seems.
• Include embedded devices in vulnerability scanning scope where technically feasible.

Innovo Networks' Approach

We help organizations extend their security program's reach to include the full range of network-connected devices often left out of traditional scope — printers, cameras, VoIP systems, and other embedded equipment. Attackers have learned that the most overlooked device on your network is often the easiest way in; closing that gap means taking the boring devices as seriously as exciting ones.