Skip to main content
If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Canon printer hacked to run Doom

In an attempt to demonstrate a security flaw with the firmware of a Canon Pixma printer, one talented hacker made it possible to run Doom on it.

Michael Jordon, who writes for Context, spent four months attempting to reverse-engineer the printer's firmware to get it to run custom content, and finally succeeded in doing so. The first thing he tried to run was, of course, Doom.

This model can be accessed from the internet to check its status, which makes this security risk all the more interesting. The printer firmware lacks username and password functionality. All you need to do is find the printer and then you can remotely hack it.

"We thank Context for bringing this issue to our attention, we take any potential security vulnerability very seriously," said Canon in a prepared statement. "We intend to provide a fix as quickly as is feasible. All Pixma products launching from now onwards will have a username/password added to the PIXMA web interface."

Thanks, CVG.

Read this next