Prusa Research considered legal action when they first discovered Bambu Lab on their network in 2021. At that time, Prusa Slicer had just introduced opt-in anonymous telemetry.
“We started seeing entries in our database labeled "BambuSlicer." We hadn't heard of BambuStudio yet. Their internal builds were accidentally configured to send telemetry to our servers instead of theirs, “ he said on X. “That's how we found out a fork existed, before they publicly launched.”
In the end, Prusa Research decided to leave its fledgling competitor alone, due to the difficulty in protecting software. Without a physical product to pass through customs, it would be impossible to force compliance.
“A license without a viable enforcement path is, in practice, a suggestion. So Bambu got away with it. The networking blob kept doing whatever it did. And many “we are sorry”s later we land here today – legal threats to a small developer opening their tiny black box,” he said.
Prusa went on to explain something many in the West are unaware of, which is the extent to which the Chinese government is intertwined in the business and industry of its citizens. This means that even if an individual from that nation had the best of intentions, they are still duty-bound to the laws of the state.
This might be a good time to remember the case of Naomi Wu, a Chinese tech reviewer and white hat hacker with a flamboyant style of dress who once gave her audience tours of daily Shenzhen life. At one point, she was the Chinese It Girl, with her face on the Creality CR-30, a belt printer she helped to develop.
She disappeared from the internet in 2023, shortly after trying to warn consumers of spyware in a Chinese keyboard app .
Ok for those of you that haven't figured it out I got my wings clipped and they weren't gentle about it- so there's not going to be much posting on social media anymore and only on very specific subjects. I can leave but Kaidi can't so we're just going to follow the new rules and… July 8, 2023
Prusa went on to explain a five-law framework China has built between 2017 and 2023 that requires citizens to not only assist in intelligence gathering, but also hand over the keys to all encryption to their government.
BambuStudio has been violating PrusaSlicer AGPL license since their fork, with the same networking binary black box in question today. Why are they willing to burn the goodwill over it?There's something most have sensed but never seen it all in one place, the five-law framework… https://t.co/xCoDJ7rd5j pic.twitter.com/VFCRmNOxXO May 13, 2026
“Together they describe a system with no neutral exits. Cooperation is required, encryption is real, but the spare keys live at the ministry, jurisdiction follows the company across borders, industrial data is in scope, and discovered vulnerabilities flow to an intelligence agency,” Prusa explained.
After outlining the problem, Prusa goes on to fully color in the picture. He believes that the Chinese government is invested in the success of 3D printing because machines are used in the very offices and workshops where new ideas are created.
“Second, 3D printers concentrate at the places where new IP is created. R&D departments, prototype shops, defense suppliers, university labs, hardware startups. The machine sits next to the thing being invented. And the slicer sits on your computer with the same data and access you have,” Prusa said.
And it’s not just 3D printers. Prusa believes these values can extend to every industry, such as cameras, cars, and AI coding models.
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Denise Bertacchi is a Contributing Writer for Tom\u2019s Hardware US, covering 3D printing. Denise has been crafting with PCs since she discovered Print Shop had clip art on her Apple IIe. She loves reviewing 3D printers because she can mix all her passions: printing, photography, and writing. ","collapsible":{"enabled":true,"maxHeight":250,"readMoreText":"Read more","readLessText":"Read less"}}), "https://slice.vanilla.futurecdn.net/13-4-23/js/authorBio.js"); } else { console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); } Denise Bertacchi Social Links Navigation Freelance Reviewer Denise Bertacchi is a Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware US, covering 3D printing. Denise has been crafting with PCs since she discovered Print Shop had clip art on her Apple IIe. She loves reviewing 3D printers because she can mix all her passions: printing, photography, and writing.
PEnns This is rich!! Want to eliminate your competition?? Just call them a "National' Security Risk". These days, a " National' Security Risk " is the go-to phrase, used by this country's elites (political or otherwise), against anything or anyone without the burden of or even a hint of a proof of alleged guilt! Reply
Pete Mitchell PEnns said: This is rich!! Want to eliminate your competition?? Just call them a "National' Security Risk". These days, a " National' Security Risk " is the go-to phrase, used by this country's elites (political or otherwise), against anything or anyone without the burden of or even a hint of a proof of alleged guilt! Amen to that. I 100% agree with Prusa on the licensing issue. However, the rest of it seems like the desperate flailing of a company that is falling behind its competitors. Reply
wakuwaku Prusa’s point starts to crumble a bit at this point, because Bambu Studio can technically be used without the cloud if you set up the hardware in LAN mode Can Mr. Tom please stop using writers that either have no clue what they are talking about, or have ZERO motivation to do research or citations. How does the writer know that Bambu Studio can communicate with their printers in LAN mode without the network plugin installed and running? Its called a NETWORK plugin. In order for the software to communicate with the hardware in LAN mode, which stands for LOCAL AREA NETWORK, you obviously need the network to get it to work? How does the software communicate over the network without the network? Unless Bambu Studio has its own built in network stack separate from the network plugin to communicate over LAN…. Reply
CHanson95 wakuwaku said: Can Mr. Tom please stop using writers that either have no clue what they are talking about, or have ZERO motivation to do research or citations. How does the writer know that Bambu Studio can communicate with their printers in LAN mode without the network plugin installed and running? Its called a NETWORK plugin. In order for the software to communicate with the hardware in LAN mode, which stands for LOCAL AREA NETWORK, you obviously need the network to get it to work? How does the software communicate over the network without the network? Unless Bambu Studio has its own built in network stack separate from the network plugin to communicate over LAN…. There are all of ways. You could brute force it simply with a firewall or air gap; though I imagine in its default mode, it might not like not being able to connect to maker world. Alternatively, you can just go into the Wi-Fi settings and turn on lan mode. Which is exactly what the writer was talking about. And yes, it does indeed disable the cloud networking plugin (this doesn't mean the entire machine can't communicate, it just means the network cloud service is not used). If you want to be extra safe, pair the lan mode with a firewall setting on your network, and there you go. You have Network printing still, without the security risk. I think you got confused because LAN and 'The Network Plugin' share a word, but I assure you that is how this particular package works; the network plugin is just the term for their cloud wrapper services As for bambu and prusa; all the actual 3D printing and slicing software fork is still open source. The only part that isn't open source is the new cloud software wrapper package, the firmware and software. Which is totally understandable in my opinion; the cloud software has nothing to do with the fork that they pulled from. Additionally, that cloud software and the synchronization between phone app and computer and printer is one of the biggest selling points of bambu. To me it just seems like prusa is whining about falling behind in market, and really wishes that bambu would release their proprietary cloud software as open source so that they too could hop on that app bandwagon. Reply
patriotpa Good call Josef. ALL Chinese 3D printing software poses massive security risks, as well as violates Open Source. Zero innovation. Only THEFT. Reply
LordVile Don’t really see how it can be a security risk. These wouldn’t be allowed a connection to any secure network anyway. Reply
USAFRet LordVile said: Don’t really see how it can be a security risk. These wouldn’t be allowed a connection to any secure network anyway. Well, a FitBit isn't connected to a secure network, but the cumulative info gleaned from them CAN elevate to classified info. "Every morning at 0530, a group of 10 guys go for a run out in the middle of Nowhere, Asscrackistan. One of those devices is linked to Lt. Dumbass…" Or the location of a French aircraft carrier: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd9vdel17wqo I am in no way saying the 3D printer thing is a security risk, but data that travels only on regular networks can be collated to rise to sensitive data. Reply
PEnns USAFRet said: Well, a FitBit isn't connected to a secure network, but the cumulative info gleaned from them CAN elevate to classified info. "Every morning at 1530, a group of 10 guys go for a run out in the middle of Nowhere, Asscrackistan. One of those devices is linked to Lt. Dumbass…" Or the location of a French aircraft carrier: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd9vdel17wqo I am in no way saying the 3D printer thing is a security risk, but data that travels only on regular networks can be collated to rise to sensitive data. While I agree with the remotely "potential" security "risk", the question is: Has this been established (aka proven beyond doubt) or is it just a notion that this could "possibly" happen at some point in time?? Reply
USAFRet PEnns said: While I agree with the remotely "potential" security "risk", the question is: Has this been established (aka proven beyond doubt) or is it just a notion that this could "possibly" happen at some point in time?? Are you referring to the Prusa statement, or my examples? Reply
PEnns USAFRet said: Are you referring to the Prusa statement, or my examples? Either one if they can provide a real example of the event of a "Nation Security Threat" really happening. Reply
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- https://www.tomshardware.com/3d-printing/josef-prusa-warns-chinese-3d-printing-software-poses-massive-security-risks-bambu-lab-allegedly-violates-agpl-license-with-an-un-auditable-network-black-box#main
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