Why Print Security Should Be Part of Your Cyber Security Strategy
Your printer may be part of your cyber security risk
Most businesses have invested heavily in protecting computers, servers, email and cloud applications. Printers and multifunction devices, however, are often overlooked.
Modern MFDs are connected to the business network and may process, store, scan and transmit sensitive information. That means they should be treated as part of the organisation’s technology environment — not simply as office equipment.
A document containing customer information, financial records, employee information or confidential business data can be exposed through an unsecured print environment just as easily as through other poorly protected systems.
Printers Are Networked Devices
A modern multifunction device is far more than a machine that puts ink or toner on paper.
It can connect to computers, servers, cloud services and mobile devices. It may also contain internal storage and support functions such as scanning to email, network folders or document-management systems.
Security guidance from organisations such as UC Berkeley recommends treating networked printers as computing devices that require appropriate access controls and network protection.
This means businesses should consider printers when reviewing:
- Network access
- User permissions
- Authentication
- Firmware updates
- Network protocols
- Data storage
- Remote management
- Physical access
If a device is connected to your network, it should be part of your security conversation.
Protect Documents Before They Reach the Output Tray
One of the simplest print-security risks is also one of the most visible.
Someone sends a confidential document to a shared printer. The document prints immediately — but the person who sent it may not arrive at the printer for several minutes.
During that time, the document is potentially accessible to anyone near.
Secure print release changes this process.
Instead of immediately printing the document, the job is held until the authorised user identifies themselves at the device using an appropriate method such as:
- PIN
- User credentials
- Access card
- Mobile authentication
- Other supported authentication methods
Manufacturer security guidance identifies authenticated print release as an important way of reducing unauthorised access to printed information.
The principle is simple:
Don’t print sensitive information until the person who requested it is ready to collect it.
Control Who Can Use the Device
Not everyone in an organisation necessarily needs access to every printer function.
A properly configured MFD can allow businesses to control access to functions such as:
- Printing
- Copying
- Scanning
- Faxing
- Address books
- Device settings
- Stored documents
User authentication can also provide accountability associating activity with individual users rather than treating every print job as anonymous.
This becomes particularly important in environments where documents contain confidential customer, financial, HR or operational information.
Protect Data Moving Across the Network
Print jobs don’t simply appear at the printer.
They travel across the network.
If appropriate security controls aren’t in place, data moving between workstations, servers and MFDs can create additional exposure.
Modern devices can support security technologies such as:
- TLS
- IPsec
- IEEE 802.1X
- Encrypted print data
- Secure network protocols
- Network access controls
For example, DEVELOP’s current MFD specifications include features such as IP filtering and port blocking, IPsec, IEEE 802.1X, user authentication, secure print and print-data encryption on supported devices.
This is one area where the printer’s specification matters.
Don't Ignore the Data Stored Inside the Printer
Some multifunction devices have internal storage that can contain information from previous print, scan, copy or fax activity.
That creates another security consideration when devices are:
- Reconfigured
- Replaced
- Returned at the end of a rental
- Removed from the network
- Sold or disposed of
Modern MFDs can offer features such as:
- Hard-drive encryption
- Data overwrite
- Automatic memory deletion
- Secure document storage
- Encrypted print data
DEVELOP specifications, for example, list hard-drive overwrite, AES encryption and memory-data deletion among the security capabilities available on supported models.
Replacing a printer doesn’t automatically mean the data inside it has been securely removed.
Keep Firmware and Security Settings Up to Date
Printer security isn’t something that can be configured once and forgotten.
Firmware vulnerabilities can emerge over the life of a device, while network environments and security requirements can change.
HP’s security guidance specifically recommends keeping printer firmware updated and reviewing printer security as part of an overall protection strategy.
Businesses should therefore have a process for:
- Firmware updates
- Security patches
- Reviewing administrator passwords
- Disabling unused services and protocols
- Reviewing network access
- Checking authentication settings
- Reviewing device configuration
University security guidance also recommends disabling unnecessary protocols and services and restricting printer management interfaces to authorised networks.
Print Security and POPIA
For South African businesses, print security can also form part of the broader protection of personal information.
POPIA’s security safeguards require organisations handling personal information to take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect that information against unauthorised access, loss, destruction and unlawful processing.
That doesn’t mean that having a secure printer automatically makes a business POPIA compliant.
It means the print environment should be considered when a business assesses how personal information is processed and protected.
This is particularly relevant for organisations handling:
- Customer information
- Employee records
- Financial information
- Medical information
- Identification documents
- Contracts
- Confidential correspondence
Print security is one component of a broader information-security strategy.
Build Print Security Into Your Managed Print Strategy
Security shouldn’t be treated as an optional feature added after a printer has been installed.
A managed print environment can bring together:
- Device assessment
- Fleet monitoring
- User authentication
- Secure print
- Access controls
- Device configuration
- Firmware management
- Usage reporting
- Consumables management
- Lifecycle planning
The objective isn’t simply to make printing more secure.
It’s to make the entire print environment more visible, controlled and manageable.
Research and industry guidance increasingly points toward centralised management, standardised security configurations and continuous monitoring rather than treating every printer as an isolated device.
The Bottom Line
Your printer is part of your IT environment. Treat it that way.
Cyber security doesn’t stop at the server, laptop or cloud application.
If an MFD is connected to your network, processes confidential information and provides access to printing, scanning and document workflows, it deserves appropriate security controls.
The good news is that businesses don’t necessarily need to replace every device to improve print security.
The first step is understanding what devices you have, how they are being used and what security controls are currently in place.
At Gecko Technical Services, we help businesses assess and manage their print environments through Print & Document Solutions and Managed Print Services — including helping organisations select, configure and manage technology appropriate to their operational requirements.
Is your print environment part of your cyber security strategy?
