HP sued over security flaw in printers
A lawsuit against Hewlett-Packard alleges that the company sold LaserJet printers that it knew had a security flaw in them that could allow hackers to steal data, take control of networks and even cause physical damage to printers through overheating.
The suit, filed last week in district court in San Jose, Calif., accuses HP of knowingly selling printers with a design defect that renders them "highly vulnerable to attacks by hackers." The plaintiff, David Goldblatt of New York, said he would not have purchased two HP printers had he known about the problems. It alleges HP violated the California laws designed to protect consumers and prohibit fraudulent or deceptive business practices and seeks class-action status.
The issue stems from the fact that software on the printers that allows for updates over the Internet does not use digital signatures to verify the authenticity of any software upgrades or modifications downloaded to the printers, according to the lawsuit.
