First They Lock Your Data—Then They Make Your Office Printers Print the Ransom Note.

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Office printers have become the latest weapon in a disturbing new cyber extortion scheme, as hackers breach corporate networks, lock critical business data with Microsoft BitLocker, and then hijack network-connected printers to physically PRINT out ransom demands. According to Kaspersky researchers, attacks investigated in Mexico and Colombia show cybercriminals exploiting poorly secured or misconfigured internet-facing services, gaining control of company networks and demanding relatively small ransoms—including one reported demand of just $3,000—while using office printers to deliver an unmistakable message that the network has been compromised. The printers were not necessarily the original point of entry, but their dramatic use as ransom-note machines exposes an uncomfortable cybersecurity reality: printers and multifunction devices remain deeply connected endpoints inside corporate environments and can be weaponized once attackers gain sufficient network access. With ransomware tactics evolving beyond traditional malicious encryption software—and criminals now abusing legitimate tools such as BitLocker—businesses that continue treating printer and network security as an afterthought could face a nightmare scenario where computers are locked, critical data becomes inaccessible, and the first physical warning of the attack comes pouring out of the office printer.

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July 23, 2026 at 11:00 AM