Security against hacking a Parallel port

[Jon_Smith]

Hi everyone,
at work I want to connect a Fax machine to a PC using the Parallel port so that I don't need to print off faxes before sending them to save paper and allow other people further away to send faxes without actually having to walk all the way to the fax machine.

My IT dept is causing me problems however,
they have told me that they have an old policy against it because it is apparently possible to use the fax machines phone line to hack into the computer through the parallel port.

Computer security and hacking isn't really something I have ever dealt with before but I am sure there must be some way to try and prevent this, would it be as simple as installing a firewall on that PC? or would a more complicated solution be required?

Jon Smith

[michaewlewis]

That's the strangest thing I've ever heard. While it would *possible* to hack a pc through a fax machine on a parallel port, it would almost as easy to hack a computer through the power lines. (I'm exaggerating a little )
The risk of hooking up a fax machine to a computer is actually much lower than connecting to the internet via dialup modem. Firewall companies don't even make firewall software for the parallel port because of the extremely low risk it has.
It sounds like either your IT dept is full of a bunch of newbies, or you work in a small company that can't afford real IT.
There's no real risk.

[viking]

michaewlewis, just because we don't use faxes so much it doesn't mean they are not a security threat. I didn't search about, but I think the problem is real. Jon_Smith, neither I or michaewlewis know a solution for your problem, unfortunately.

I don't understand exactly why do you need a fax to send/receive faxes... A scanner and a fax-to-mail service won't do?

[michaewlewis]

I didn't comment about whether it is a threat. Anything can be a threat to network security. Whether it is a risk is another thing. If the network has an internet connection, a fax machine should be the least of their worries.

[Jon_Smith]

I completely agree with you michaewlewis I think its stupid but I work the NHS (National Health Service in the UK) and they are very awkward about security because of patient confidentiality and all that, and although we are a very large company, we still have a rubbish IT dept, half of me thinks that they just told me this to fob me off because it wasn't something they usually do and they dont like to step out of the box.

Thanks anyway guys

[Jon_Smith]

Would anyone be able to direct me to any hard evidence of the difficultly of hacking a parrallel port so that I could present it to my supierors in an effort to convince them that it won't compromise the security of our network, or at least not any more so than having an internet connection?

Jon Smith

[Spoiler]

Why not try to sell them on FAX software? Hook a modem up inside your computer and than load some off the self FAX software. This way you have no problem with the parallel port.

[michaewlewis]

I searched using several different terms for anything about fax security and hacking parallel ports and the most I came up with is that it's fairly common to forge faxes to make someone think another person sent the fax. There was even one guy in europe that was freed from prison because of a forged fax.
But as far as hacking the actual fax machine and breaking into a network..... I didn't find anything about that.

[michaewlewis]

Why not try to sell them on FAX software? Hook a modem up inside your computer and than load some off the self FAX software. This way you have no problem with the parallel port.

Actually, a modem would be easier to hack than a fax hooked up via parallel port...

[viking]

I don't know anything about hacking a parallel port. But it is possible.

I repeat my question: a scanner, a printer and a fax to mail service don't solve the problem?

http://www.google.ro/search?q=mail+to+fax&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
http://www.google.ro/search?q=fax+to+mail&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a