Cyber theft is one of the fastest growing threats to your business. While the digital transformation has lead to a more efficient workplace, the reliance on technology has also introduced a number of new vulnerabilities for hackers to leverage.
Cyber attacks come in many forms, from stealing confidential data to encrypting it for ransom. Businesses go to great lengths to protect their computers by installing Antivirus software, configuring firewalls, and backing up data. However, despite these precautions, print devices that are connected to the network are often overlooked.
The Vulnerabilities Posed By Unsecured Print Devices
Neglecting to include printers in your cyber security policy is like forgetting to close the door before you leave your house in the morning. Criminals know that businesses often don’t take the appropriate measures to secure their print devices, which is why the printer is a common target for hackers.
A multifunction printer contains a hard drive that stores sensitive information that passes between your network and printer. If the data on this hard drive is not encrypted and regularly erased, the livelihood of your business is in jeopardy if the wrong person gets his hands on your information.
Another way that a multifunction printer can make your business vulnerable is through employee use. By not requiring user authentication, anyone could access the device and gain sensitive information. Also, it’s common for uncollected documents to be left on the printer’s output tray. If a confidential document is printed and left abandoned on the output tray, anyone walking by could see this information.
Taking the time to understand the security configurations embedded into your multifunction printer needs to be a priority for your business as does making your print devices part of your cyber security policy.
If you handle IT internally, when was the last time that you performed a risk assessment on your print devices? Considering the current threat environment, you can’t afford to not make your multifunction printers part of your cyber security policy. Contact us to get the conversation started about enhancing your security strategy to include your multifunction printers.
Take our quick printer security assessment today and find out how secure your printers are!
