b'The Tech Cumulus June 2025IS YOUR PRINTER THE BIGGEST SECURITY THREAT IN YOUR OFFICE?If I asked you to name the biggest cyber securityTheyre an open door to your network2. Update Your Printers Firmwarethreats in your office, youd probably say phishing Printers are connected to your WiFi andManufacturers release security patches for a reason. e-mails, malware or weak passwords. But what ifcompany network. If compromised, they canLog into your printer settings and check for I told you that your office printeryes, the onebe used as an entry point to install malware orupdates or have your IT team do this for you.quietly humming in the cornercould be one ofransomware, or steal data from other devices.the biggest vulnerabilities in your entire network? 3. Encrypt Print JobsEnable Secure Print and Print jobs can be interceptedIf your print jobsend-to-end encryption to prevent hackers from It sounds ridiculous, but hackers love printers. Andarent encrypted, hackers can intercept documentsintercepting print jobs.most businesses dont realize just how much of abefore they even reach the printer. That means security risk they poseuntil its too late. In 2020,confidential contracts, legal documents and even4. Restrict Who Can PrintUse access controls Cybernews ran what they called the Printer Hackmedicalrecordscouldbeexposed. so only authorized employees can send print jobs. Experiment. Out of a sample of 50,000 devices,If your printer supports PIN codes, require them they successfully compromised 56% of the printers,They can spy on your businessManyfor sensitive print jobs. You can also add a guest directing them to print out a sheet on printermodern printers have built-in storage and evenoption.security. Thats nearly 28,000 compromised devicesscan-to-e-mail features. If a hacker compromisesall because businesses overlooked this harmlessyour device, they can remotely access scanned5. Regularly Clear Stored DataSome printers piece of office equipment. documents, e-mails and stored files. let you manually delete stored print jobs. If yours has a hard drive, make sure its encrypted, and if Wait, WHY Target Printers? Outdated firmware leaves the door wide- you replace a printer, wipe or destroy the hard Because printers are a goldmine of sensitive data.openLike any device, printers need securitydrive before disposal.They process everything from payroll documentsupdates. But most businesses never update their and contracts to confidential client information.printers firmware, leaving them vulnerable to6. Put Your Printer Behind A FirewallJust And yet, most businesses leave them wide-openknown exploitations. like computers, printers should be protected by a to attack. firewall to prevent unauthorized access.Data mining from discarded printersHeres what can happen when a hacker gainsPrinters that were improperly disposed of can7. Monitor Printer ActivityIf your IT team access to your printer: be a goldmine for cybercriminals. Residual dataisnt already tracking printer logs, now is the time stored on discarded printers can be mined forto start. Unusual print activity, remote access Printers store sensitive dataEvery time yousensitive information! This can result in potentialattempts or unauthorized users printing sensitive print, scan or copy a document, your printersecurity breaches. Printers need to have theirdocuments should be red flags.keeps a digital copy. Many printers have built-instorage wiped clean to avoid being vulnerable to hard drives that store years worth of documents,data breaches and legal liabilities. Printers Arent Just Office including payroll files, contracts and employeeEquipmentTheyre Security Risksrecords. If a hacker gains access, they can steal orHow To Protect Your PrintersMost businesses dont take printer security seriously even reprint those files without your knowledge. FromHackers because, well, its a printer. But cybercriminals Default passwords are a hackers dreamNow that you know printers can be hacked, heresknow that businesses overlook these devices,Most printers come with default adminwhat you need to do immediately: making them an easy target.logins like admin/admin or 123456.1. Change The Default PasswordIf yourIf youre protecting your computers but ignoring Many businesses never change them, makingprinter still has the default login credentials, changeyour printers, youre leaving a huge hole in your it ridiculously easy for cybercriminals tothem immediately. Use a strong, unique passwordcyber security defenses.takecontrol. like you would for your e-mail or bank account.Technology That Works!216-393-24843'