Hewlett-Packard (HP) on Thursday pulled a printer driver from its website after security vendor BitDefender reported that the software was infected with the same computer virus that infected HP’s drivers more than five years ago.A BitDefender partner notified the security vendor of the infected driver software on Wednesday, and the company’s security researchers soon determined that it had the same Funlove virus that had plagued HP in December 2000.The infected printer driver was removed from HP’s website early Thursday, said BitDefender spokesman Vitor Souza.Until then, the virus was being distributed with the Korean version of the Windows 95/98 driver for HP’s Officejet g85 All-in-One printer. HP no longer sells the all-in-one printer, and the current antivirus products are able to block it. So while the oversight is an embarrassment for HP, it’s unlikely that many users were affected by Funlove. Previously, HP had inadvertently distributed the Funlove virus in Japanese printer drivers that were made available on the company’s website. Souza believes that HP most likely neglected to remove this particular infected driver back in 2000. “Its just like nobody had run a test against antivirus [software],” he said.Even for users who fall prey to the virus, the consequences are not severe. When it gets installed, the Funlove pops up a text message that reads “Fun Loving Criminal,” and then attempts to reboot the PC. On Windows NT machines, it attempts to change system settings so that files that can normally be seen only by administrators are visible to all.HP executives were not immediately available to comment for this story.BitDefender is owned by Softwin SRL, based in Bucharest, Romania.-Robert McMillan, IDG News ServiceKeep checking in at our Security Feed page, or subscribe via RSS, for updated news coverage. Related content feature Top cybersecurity M&A deals for 2023 Fears of recession, rising interest rates, mass tech layoffs, and conservative spending trends are likely to make dealmakers cautious, but an ever-increasing need to defend against bigger and faster attacks will likely keep M&A activity steady in By CSO Staff Sep 22, 2023 24 mins Mergers and Acquisitions Mergers and Acquisitions Mergers and Acquisitions brandpost Unmasking ransomware threat clusters: Why it matters to defenders Similar patterns of behavior among ransomware treat groups can help security teams better understand and prepare for attacks By Joan Goodchild Sep 21, 2023 3 mins Cybercrime news analysis China’s offensive cyber operations support “soft power” agenda in Africa Researchers track Chinese cyber espionage intrusions targeting African industrial sectors. By Michael Hill Sep 21, 2023 5 mins Advanced Persistent Threats Cyberattacks Critical Infrastructure brandpost Proactive OT security requires visibility + prevention You cannot protect your operation by simply watching and waiting. It is essential to have a defense-in-depth approach. By Austen Byers Sep 21, 2023 4 mins Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe