It's not that printers are bad, but a series of factors make them perfect targets for hackers. For one thing, today's advanced printers - particularly multi-functions - are powerful computing devices containing microprocessors, memory, data storage, networking interfaces and an operating system. They also ship with a multitude of open ports for compatibility and default passwords  And yet printing security isn't high up the list of priorities when it comes to corporate data security. IT administrators often underestimate the potential for damage from a printer hack, and that it can be the entry point to the entire corporate network. During one of the talks, hacker Michael Calce, aka MafiaBoy, spent some time explaining the mindset of a hacker and how they are not coming through your front door, but rather through walls or under the floor. He would know - although Calce today has switched sides to the world of ethical hacking doing penetration testing for companies like HP and others, he rose to hacker fame in 2000 at age 15 when he took down Yahoo, CNN, eBay, Dell and Amazon using a DDoS attack of unprecedented magnitude at the time. You usually hear about major breaches, but the takeaway I got is that no company large or small should work under the assumption that they are unlikely targets for hackers - if your network endpoints are not secure you can get your data compromised and your devices leveraged for a larger end game. The Target breach comes to mind, which began with the theft of credentials of an HVAC contractor and attackers patiently worked their way to the very heart of the retailer's payment systems.