When it comes to cybersecurity, most of us are familiar with things such as computer viruses, malware or phishing attacks. However, we might have much less familiarity of what’s known as a spooling attack. What is spooling in cybersecurity? In this post, we’ll go over the basics of spooling and how it’s been co-opted by cybercriminals as a means of obtaining sensitive information.
The root of the word spooling is the acronym of SPOOL which stands for Simultaneous Peripheral Operation On-Line. What this describes is the ability of a peripheral device, such as a printer or mouse, to store data in order to allow it to execute a function more smoothly. Spooling allows peripheral devices to accumulate data, access that data when needed and perform its functions more efficiently. Peripheral devices such as printers, computer mice and keyboards are often slower than most of the other working parts of a computer, so being able to store information and access it only when ready allows for more orderly operation.
An example of this can be seen when several computers are connected to a single printer. When multiple print jobs are sent to the printer, in effect, each user is installing a print driver that is added to a queue and is executed when it reaches the front of the line. The retention of all this data in the peripheral device, in this case, a printer, is known as spooling.
Spooling becomes a cybersecurity issue because data is being stored in a place that often has the potential to be exploited. This is most common with print spoolers. The main reason for this is that print spoolers allow non-administrative personnel to install a driver. When used legitimately, the driver that’s installed causes a document to be printed. When used by a cybercriminal, the installed driver can cause all sorts of problems for any computer that’s attached to the printer network. Drivers can be used to install malware, execute malicious code, take control of data and allow access to any machine connected to the printer.
Print spoolers are one of the major sources of spooler cybersecurity problems. A large part of this has to do with the fact that the Windows Print Spooler, which is used by the vast majority of printer networks, is a large, complicated piece of software that’s over 20 years old. It also contains several bugs and security flaws that are easily exploitable by even the most novice of computer hackers. To compound the problem, its configuration makes it troublesome for administrators to recognize if the system is being attacked. The fact that these print spoolers allow non-administrative users to install drivers makes them very attractive to cybercriminals.
There are cybersecurity protocols that can be implemented to reduce the success of spooling attacks. These include making it more difficult for non-administrative users to access non-essential servers, regularly inspecting the spooler software and removing malicious code as well as the implementation of protocols that prevent unauthorized users from installing drivers that could contain malicious commands.
By tightening access to the spooling systems and regularly monitoring them for suspicious activity, spooling attacks can be minimized, and cybersecurity boosted.
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