Beating Crime with Printers

In the wake of recent violent crimes and a change in law enforcement tactics, many people have come to the conclusion that modern technology has made it so that crime is no longer a viable option due to the prevalence of security cameras and other high tech solutions. While these solutions are certainly effective, there are still those who refuse to follow the rules and will seek out ways of evading these systems. One such example is how police officers and criminals use printers as an escape method.

Despite all safety precautions put into place by manufacturers, computer manufacturers, retailers, etc., printers are incredibly vulnerable points which can be exploited by clever crooks who know how to cover their tracks thoroughly. The first step in creating a printer crime scene is to open the printer and ensure that it cannot be restored to its original state by pulling out the internal circuitry or physically tearing the printer apart. After this, the individual will put their own personal information into the printer, such as details on paper size and ink type. This will ensure that any data printed is not traceable to other individuals as only the criminal will know what is inside of their particular machine.

If someone has committed a crime using a standard computer, there are certain tools which police officers can use to recover traces of data from hard drives. However, when crimes are committed using a printer, there is no way for police to pull these traces of data from the ink cartridges or the paper itself. The only way that a criminal's printer crime can be discovered is if the person who uses the machine leaves some evidence behind indicating that they were behind the crime or if they possess certain details which can only be known by them.

It is very unlikely that standard security measures will catch criminals who have committed crimes using printers, but with proper precautions, it is possible to avoid becoming one of these statistics. In order to stay safe and protect yourself from printers gone wild, make sure you install and regularly update printer safety software such as Norton™ Internet Security™ . This computer security program offers advanced protection against viruses, spam, and other threats while keeping a close eye on what you are printing. DualScan™ monitors your printer and Internet connections for suspicious activity so that Norton™ Internet Security can take action before your files have been compromised.

Because it is difficult to prove that a crime has been committed using a printer, there is little reason not to use one. However, with the proper safety measures in place, no one will be able to dispute whether or not you really did commit a crime using a printer.

Reference: http://www.triumphnet.co.uk/blog/2010/12/beating-crime-with-printers

Document dated: 25 November 2010

Document author: Peter Finns

Document URL and date: http://www.triumphnet.co.uk/blog/2010/12/beating-crime-with-printers

Document title: Beating Crime with Printers

15. Further examples of successful spoofing to date:

Specific details of issues relating to Australia and New Zealand with respect to security research can be found at the following links:

The Acknowledgements section in particular is a good source of information for anyone wishing to maintain a security testing lab in Australia or New Zealand; as some equipment that may not be available within the nations may be shipped in from overseas. The Acknowledgements section lists all of the equipment used, or that was required to assist in carrying out the research.

General references to security research, and the laws and culture associated with it are available at the following links:

Further Information relating specifically to Australia and New Zealand can be found at the following links:

The requirements of Australia's Privacy Act 1988, which afford individuals protection from commercial or government misuse of personal data collected about them. The requirements of Australia's Privacy Act 1988 that organisations must take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify personal information if there is no longer any 'purpose for which the information may be used'. The Telecommunications Interception Act 1979 requires telephone conversations over a fixed line are not recorded without prior written consent of all parties. The Telecommunications (Interception) Act 1979 requires telecommunications operators, such as telcos, mobile phone providers and ISPs, to supply information or assistance to authorities.

The requirements of the Telecommunications (Interception) Act 1979 for an organisation that gathers personal information about a specific individual in order to gain access to that individual's personal telecommunications.

Below is a list of four documents which relate specifically to the Internet and online communications.

Internet filtering or censorship refers to measures aimed at controlling or restricting access to materials on the Internet deemed inappropriate for certain age groups, sexual orientations, religious beliefs, political ideologies or geographic areas. Various countries have Internet censorship legislation. Some have implemented laws prohibiting the dissemination of certain types of information, while others require specific content to be blocked. In some countries, censorship is performed by a government agency. Other countries have implemented internet filtering laws which are operated by companies that do not disclose their legal basis for performing censorship on the Internet.

The most common disputes around the legality of this type of activity are dealing with internet service providers (ISPs) who seek to block sites that are known for hosting copyright infringing material (file sharing apparatus). The blocking of such material has been criticised as being discriminatory, due to the high rate of infringement reported by the ISPs, and also because such heavy-handed enforcement is considered particularly ill-advised when dealing with a platform that is owned by and reserved for users. Since there are only a small number of sites which are able to be blocked by ISPs, it can be difficult for the general public to gain access to the material. Although, a few access methods have been developed that allow users to bypass ISP blocks.

From time to time, different sites report on how censorship adapts in relation to new technologies. The most common examples include:

In Australia there are some laws and regulations which relate specifically to censorship issues.

Conclusion

From the above it is clear that there are many laws around the world that relate to some of the possible issues relating to information technology. Of course, within many of these laws there are many exceptions and details which must be taken into account. Thus, whether or not a particular action is legal will depend on a number of factors. Section 107 of Australia's Copyright Act 1968 may provide a defence for an acknowledged security researcher who is performing physical acts with equipment (for example, hacking). Despite this, as this section deals only with infringement of copyright law and not any other rights which may have been infringed during the research process, it may not necessarily provide protection in all circumstances.