Are Brother's Insecure Printers Illegal in the UK?
canopic jug writes:
Standards nerd and technology enthusiast, Terence Eden, has analyzed the Brother printers' default password scandal in light of the UK computer security legislation.
So, to recap. The law says an Internet-connected device (including printers) must have a password which is not "based on or derived from publicly available information". As I understand it, having a serial-number based password is OK as long as you don't publicise the serial number. I expect that if it were printed on a sticker that would be fine. But because the serial can be discovered remotely, it fails at this point.
The UK law in question is The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (Security Requirements for Relevant Connectable Products) Regulations 2023. Brother might also have crossed the line in California which had already outlawed default passwords from 2020 onward.
Previously:
(2025) Massive Privacy Concern: Over 40,000 Security Cameras Are Streaming Unsecured Footage Worldwide
(2024) Secure Boot is Completely Broken on 200+ Models From 5 Big Device Makers
(2022) An Update to Raspberry Pi OS Bullseye
(2018) Weak Passwords to be Banned in California
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.