Printers and security

Printers have sat humbly in our office corners for decades. When thinking about where security threats could potentially be in the office, one probably thinks about the workstation and network security. For most people, printer security is an afterthought.  Printers are last in mind, but a vulnerable entry point yet they get less security attention or protection compared to other devices. For this reason alone, printer are an appealing target for hackers and other cyber-attacks.

Just think about how much documents are printed out, some with sensitive information including taxes, financial statements and more. All these information is sent through the printer. By default printers are easy to access, this default set up is what  makes it easy for hackers to intercept surprisingly we often overlook this security. This could open the company to serious security breaches. Breaches that can lead to possible revenue loss, loss of intellectual property and work disruptions. Affecting normalcy and the day to day operations of the business.

As stated in the HP Jet Advantage Security Manager Solution overview, 66% of IT managers believe that office printers contain malware, and nearly 75% of CIOs expect that these printers will be the entry point of data breaches in the next years. With these issues present it is vital for organisations to make sure that there printers have the latest security software installed, and fully updated. This way they will be in secure positions in case of future security breaches.

Printers aren’t just printers. They are vulnerable entry points of malware and need protection just like any other devices .

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