Printer maker Canon has warned its customers that sensitive Wi-Fi settings on its printers are not automatically deleted during resets. Users are advised to manually delete Wi-Fi settings before discarding, selling, or getting their printers repaired to minimize security and privacy risk.
The issue could potentially allow unauthorized individuals, such as repair technicians, temporary users, or future buyers, to access sensitive Wi-Fi network details stored in the printer’s memory, including network SSID, password, network type, IP address, MAC address, and network profile. Using this information a malicious third party could gain unauthorized access to a network the printer was connected to.
To reduce the risk Canon recommends users take the following steps:
For printers with a dedicated reset function:
1. Reset all settings (Reset settings -> Reset all)
2. Enable the wireless LAN
3. Reset all settings one more time
For printers without a dedicated reset function:
1. Reset LAN settings
2. Enable the wireless LAN
3. Reset LAN settings one more time
The issue affects nearly 200 printer models. The full list of Impacted models can be found here.