In the age of web-enabled and multi-function printers printers, we are increasingly vulnerable to malicious data attacks.
The reality is that if you have an unsecured printer, it is highly likely to put the entire network at risk.
While you may have done everything you can to keep your digital devices and drives secure, quite often, most businesses do not consider the safety of their printers.
The biggest risk an unsecured printer poses is the open door it leaves for hackers to access printed documents (stored in the cache), or pending documents sent through a wireless connection to be printed.
If these files are accessed and contain sensitive information, such as company or customer financial information, credit card details, or internal memos/documents, — the repercussions could be disastrous.
In addition to theft of information, an unsecured printer is wide open to attacks that can cripple the ability to use your printer. Some hackers have been known to jam printers with false print jobs, just for fun, halting productivity by doing so.
■ Almost half of Australia’s SMEs with an annual turnover of $3 million or more did not think they were prepared for the Australian government’s mandatory Notifiable Data Breaches Scheme that came into effect in February 2018
■ 57% of SMEs had not completed a data risk assessment in the last 12 months
■ Of the 43% of SMEs that had completed a risk assessment, only 29% included printers in their analysis.
HP’s IT Security Survey found that:
■ 67% of SMEs were mostly concerned with the disruption to business operations caused by a breach
■ 48% of SMEs were primarily concerned with the costs
■ Others were worried more about the loss of intellectual property and legal issues they could face
Being aware of the security risk a printer poses isn’t sufficient for reducing the risk itself. If your business deals with and prints sensitive information, it’s wise to invest in a printer with security features.
User identification such as PIN codes is one way of ensuring the correct user accesses the print job and also provides a record of printing. Other printers feature data encryption, which prevents data from being seized while moving to or from the printer.
These printers feature innovations that can stop a malicious attack before it starts and can even ‘self-heal’ if the printer is compromised, by rebooting and checking the integrity of the software.
Implementing the right data security technology is like having a 24/7 security guard inside your printer.
It’s far better to prevent a catastrophe with secure printers and this intelligent printing technology is a small investment, which can save you a fortune in stolen data.
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