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Twitter User Hacks 50,000 Printers To Tell People To Subscribe To a YouTube Channel (zdnet.com)

Posted by msmash on from the stranger-things dept.

An anonymous reader writes: A Twitter user using the pseudonym of @TheHackerGiraffe has hacked over 50,000 printers to print out flyers telling people to subscribe to PewDiePie's YouTube channel. The message the printers received was a simple one. It urged people to subscribe to PewDiePie's YouTube channel in order for PewDiePie -- a famous YouTuber from Sweden, real name Felix Kjellberg -- to keep the crown of most subscribed to YouTube channel.

If this sounds ...odd... it's because over the past month, an Indian record label called T-Series has caught up andsurpassed PewDiePie, once considered untouchable in terms of YouTube followers. The Swedish Youtube star made a comeback after his fans banded together in various social media campaigns, but T-Series is catching up with PewDiePie again.

13 of 94 comments (clear)

  1. Printers today, IoT tomorrow by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Can't "wait" for the inevitable day when Internet of Things devices get mass hacked. Can we start calling them: Insecure of Things or "Insecure on 'Tubes" instead ? :/

    1. Re:Printers today, IoT tomorrow by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Can't "wait" for the inevitable day when Internet of Things devices get mass hacked.

      It's already happened many times over.

      Can we start calling them: Insecure of Things or "Insecure on 'Tubes" instead ? :/

      Get with it, grandpa! It's called the Internet of Shit. ;)

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
  2. Like the good old days by AndyKron · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Kind of like the good old days when you come into work and find a pile of FAX paper on the floor. Grrrrrr!

    1. Re:Like the good old days by jfdavis668 · · Score: 2

      I had the same thought. Fax spam was a pain. We had a central fax machine, and someone got info on everyone in the company. They would send individual faxes to everyone, all to the same fax machine, always from a different number. About once a week or so we would come into this pile of faxes. We had to move to a digital fax server to stop it.

    2. Re:Like the good old days by LesFerg · · Score: 3, Funny

      I'm out of paper, could you fax me some more?

      --
      If I had a DeLorean... I would probably only drive it from time to time.
    3. Re:Like the good old days by serviscope_minor · · Score: 3, Funny

      I'm out of paper, could you fax me some more?

      I managed to feed the paper in but the machine broke when I tried to feed the shipping box through. It made that same funny cluking sound as it did when I tried to fax that floppy last week.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
  3. Some "hack" by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The only condition was that the printer was connected to the Internet, used old firmware, and had "printing" ports left exposed online.

    The hack relies on using automated scripts to send print messages to printers that have IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) ports, LPD (Line Printer Daemon) ports, and port 9100 left open over the Internet.

    So in other words... he printed to printers.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    1. Re:Some "hack" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Considering how many of the people in my office can't print to the printer that's been specifically set up for them, it probably sounds like arcane wizardry to most people.

    2. Re:Some "hack" by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      The only condition was that the printer was connected to the Internet, used old firmware, and had "printing" ports left exposed online.

      So in other words... he printed to printers.

      Not just that, but the firmware doesn't even have to be old. There's newer printers with LPD support. Naturally, you should disable it.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  4. Re:Huh? by Cmdln+Daco · · Score: 2

    There's a whole generation for whom YouTube stars are who they look up to. It's frightening.

  5. Re:Huh? by TheReaperD · · Score: 2

    Not any worse than football/basketball stars and movie stars. All have about the same track record of being ahem "quality" role models for out children. Since we idolize them instead of doctors, scientists, etc., the race for the first to spin down the drain picks up pace.

    --
    "Be particularly skeptical when presented with evidence confirming what you already believe." -
  6. Re:Huh? by Powercntrl · · Score: 2

    Maybe not Michael Jackson famous but still pretty famous.

    He's famous for being famous. Michael Jackson was famous for his musical abilities, and later for his alleged inappropriate interests/conduct with children.

    If PewDiePie wants to keep his #1 spot, maybe he should consider fondling a few kids. Anything for the fans, right?

    --

    ---
    DRM is like antifreeze, to the MPAA/RIAA it's sweet, to the consumers it's poison.
  7. Been there, done that by spaceyhackerlady · · Score: 4, Funny

    Some years ago I quietly programmed one of our office printers to display INSERT COIN when it was idle. This confused one of our summer students, but they all tended to be easily confused. It also caused some consternation when my former boss noticed and asked our sysadmin for an explanation.

    ...laura