PCL Protocol Risks

B.

The Printer Control Language (PCL) protocol is a language used by printers to interpret print jobs and render them into printed output. It is widely used in the printing industry, and is often the default language used by many printers.

Using the default driver and print settings for PCL protocol can result in security risks. Among the listed options, the MOST likely risk in this situation is:

C. An MITM attack can reveal sensitive information.

A Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attack is a type of cyber attack where an attacker intercepts and alters communication between two parties who believe they are communicating directly with each other. In this case, an attacker could intercept the print job sent to the printer, modify it to include malicious content, and then send it on to the printer. The attacker could then intercept the printed document as it comes out of the printer, potentially gaining access to sensitive information.

Other risks associated with using the default driver and print settings for PCL protocol include:

• A. An attacker can access and change the printer configuration: This risk is relatively low, as most modern printers require authentication to access configuration settings.
• B. SNMP data leaving the printer will not be properly encrypted: Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a protocol used by network devices to manage and monitor network performance. If SNMP data leaving the printer is not properly encrypted, an attacker could intercept and view the data, potentially gaining access to sensitive information.
• D. An attacker can easily inject malicious code into the printer firmware: This risk is relatively low, as most printers have security features in place to prevent unauthorized firmware updates.
• E. Attackers can use the PCL protocol to bypass the firewall of client computers: This risk is also relatively low, as PCL protocol is typically used for printing, not for network communication.