Printers and other Windows-based devices are as at much
risk of threats to the network – such asthe Conficker worm that attacked Ealing Council's IT
systemsearlier this year – as any other
component in an organisation's IT estate.
Some printers run Windows-based operating systems to contact
suppliers when cartridges run low, even though they are not
classified as computers on the network. This makes them vulnerable
to the virus.
Businesses cannot afford to
relax their vigilance over the worm, says Rodney Joffe,
director of the
Conficker
Working Group, an industry group set up to combat the worm.
Cleaning up and re-installing an organisation's computers is a
costly exercise, but IT managers may be overlooking potential
sources of rapid re-infection. Rodney Joffe says IT managers should
also think about other devices, such as printers, that are
permanently connected to the network.
Conficker typically affects all Windows-based devices on a
network, which means equipment such as printers can cause rapid
re-infection, even if organisations go to the expense of cleaning
every computer on the network.
Such re-infections are difficult to detect because most of these
devices do not have consoles that enable IT managers to inspect the
operating system. Baffled IT managers usually assume an external
source, such as a memory stick or other removable device, is
responsible.
IT managers should re-examine their network layout and ensure
that they isolate any networked machines they do not have full
control over, says Joffe. "This is the only way organisations can
make sure those machines cannot re-infect the other devices vital
to the running of the business, such as servers and desktops."
Joffe says businesses should be under no illusions that the
Conficker problem is solved or that it no longer poses a threat.
Not only can it force networks to shut down, as it did in Ealing,
but Conficker is a robust botnet that its creators or other
criminals may still use to steal sensitive information or carry out
other cyber attacks, he says.
While not claiming victory over Conficker, Joffe says the
Conficker Working Group has made tremendous strides in setting up a
model for international co-operation on cyber issues. "Next time
there is a global cyber threat we will have the basis for reaching
out rapidly to foreign governments and organisations to co-ordinate
a response," he says.