HP says computer printer inks can contain viruses

[Rich]

First virus I ever ran across was in software that came with Chinese MP3 player.
https://petapixel.com/2024/01/24/hps-ceo-says-if-you-dont-use-their-printer-ink-youre-a-bad-investment/

[geoff]

Post by Rich
First virus I ever ran across was in software that came with Chinese MP3 player.
https://petapixel.com/2024/01/24/hps-ceo-says-if-you-dont-use-their-printer-ink-youre-a-bad-investment/

Subscriptions. Sometimes necessarily locking you into something
long-term when the version you have otherwise paid for does all you need
or want.

I prefer the concept of optional paid version upgrades.

geoff

[Whisky-dave]

Post by Rich
First virus I ever ran across was in software that came with Chinese MP3 player.
https://petapixel.com/2024/01/24/hps-ceo-says-if-you-dont-use-their-printer-ink-youre-a-bad-investment/

Seems like this 'virus' is if you have a HP printer and nothing to do with the ink, it's the cartridge electronics.
I don;t think you can get a virus from ink, well not a computer virus any more than you can get a computer virus from rats piss,
which of course you can get a virus from.

[Alan Browne]

Post by Whisky-dave
I don;t think you can get a virus from ink, well not a computer virus any more than you can get a computer virus from rats piss,
which of course you can get a virus from.

"inks" in this sense meaning the ink product in cart form, so not so bad.

Ironically the CEO is claiming a virus could get onto your computer this
way (a specious at best claim that has certainly not been proven or
demonstrated). t'were there no electronics on the carts themselves then
such would be absolutely impossible.

HP are evil. Will never buy their products again ( I declared this
sometime before 2010, not sure when precisely).

(A long day from their days in very high end test electronics when they
were a high quality organization).

[geoff]

Post by Alan Browne

Post by Whisky-dave
I don;t think you can get a virus from ink, well not a computer virus
any more than you can get a computer virus from rats piss,
which of course you can get a virus from.

"inks" in this sense meaning the ink product in cart form, so not so bad.
Ironically the CEO is claiming a virus could get onto your computer this
way (a specious at best claim that has certainly not been proven or
demonstrated).  t'were there no electronics on the carts themselves then
such would be absolutely impossible.
HP are evil.  Will never buy their products again ( I declared this
sometime before 2010, not sure when precisely).
(A long day from their days in very high end test electronics when they
were a high quality organization).

No code is run from the electronics in a cartridge. It merely responds
to a software polling with a 'used or not' and 'count'.

geoff

[Alan Browne]

Post by geoff

Post by Alan Browne

Post by Whisky-dave
I don;t think you can get a virus from ink, well not a computer virus
any more than you can get a computer virus from rats piss,
which of course you can get a virus from.

"inks" in this sense meaning the ink product in cart form, so not so bad.
Ironically the CEO is claiming a virus could get onto your computer
this way (a specious at best claim that has certainly not been proven
or demonstrated).  t'were there no electronics on the carts themselves
then such would be absolutely impossible.
HP are evil.  Will never buy their products again ( I declared this
sometime before 2010, not sure when precisely).
(A long day from their days in very high end test electronics when
they were a high quality organization).

No code is run from the electronics in a cartridge. It merely responds
to a software polling with a 'used or not' and 'count'.

I know the claim is utter BS ( I said "specious" actually - too soft?),
but if hp are claiming it is so, then they are saying their whole setup
invites that attack vector, thus it's a bad idea in the first place.

[Rich]

Post by Alan Browne

Post by geoff

Post by Alan Browne

Post by Whisky-dave
I don;t think you can get a virus from ink, well not a computer virus
any more than you can get a computer virus from rats piss,
which of course you can get a virus from.

"inks" in this sense meaning the ink product in cart form, so not so bad.
Ironically the CEO is claiming a virus could get onto your computer
this way (a specious at best claim that has certainly not been proven
or demonstrated). t'were there no electronics on the carts themselves
then such would be absolutely impossible.
HP are evil. Will never buy their products again ( I declared this
sometime before 2010, not sure when precisely).
(A long day from their days in very high end test electronics when
they were a high quality organization).

No code is run from the electronics in a cartridge. It merely responds
to a software polling with a 'used or not' and 'count'.

I know the claim is utter BS ( I said "specious" actually - too soft?),
but if hp are claiming it is so, then they are saying their whole setup
invites that attack vector, thus it's a bad idea in the first place.
--
“Markets can remain irrational longer than your can remain solvent.”
- John Maynard Keynes.

This is HP's revenge for the rejection of their "giant" ink-tank scam where they took what was a $60 printer, put in bigger ink-tanks, jacked the price up to $250 then pretended they were doing you some grand favour. This was a company that used to produce real electronic testing and production equipment that was the envy of the technological world. Disgusting.

[Alan Browne]

Post by Rich
This is HP's revenge for the rejection of their "giant" ink-tank scam where they took what was a $60 printer, put in bigger ink-tanks, jacked the price up to $250 then pretended they were doing you some grand favour. This was a company that used to produce real electronic testing and production equipment that was the envy of the technological world. Disgusting.

Actually, the company that made the great Hewlett Packard test equipment
(which I used a lot in the 80's and 90's and early ought's) is now
Keysight, est. 2014 a spinoff of Agilent, itself a spinoff from the
original HP.

The "HP" of today is more the cinders of Compaq which merged with HP in
the early 2000's.