Startup Offers to Protect Printers, Phones, and Other Devices from Hackers
The first device running the defensive code, a Cisco IP phone, will be unveiled this week.
- Dawn Lim for MIT Technology Review February 21st, 2013
- Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/news/511331/startup-offers-to-protect-printers-phones-and-other-devices-from-hackers/
To most people, office printers are innocuous workplace gathering points—places to complain about the ever-disappearing toner or that colleague who apparently loves killing trees. To Ang Cui, they are high-value targets that give hackers a way to breach sensitive systems and steal trade secrets.
Red Balloon Security, a startup cofounded by Cui, has developed technology that can protect such equipment from hackers. This involves watching for signs of tampering with the low-level code—or firmware—that runs on these devices. The company plans to demonstrate the first device injected with the defensive code, a Cisco IP phone, this week.
