Security is a clear priority for IT professionals. But the role printers play within a network is often overlooked, despite them being an integral part of nearly every company’s infrastructure.
Criminals are increasingly targeting printers as well as other connected devices, from scanners to vending machines, because of their sophistication and functionality.
Research from Quocirca1 shows that more than one in ten of all security incidents that affect a business involve a printer, 59 per cent of which result in data being lost. Yet according to our research, only a quarter of IT professionals are looking to invest in print security, 75 per cent have never invested in document encryption and 56 per cent are not using user authentication.
This apathy may be in part due to seeing this threat as the preserve of large companies, but that’s no longer the case. Hackers are shifting their focus to the supply chain and smaller firms which might be easier targets and this risk has been accentuated as more people work from home, using devices that may not be subject to the same rigorous security protocols as those in the office.
Update to stay safe
One easy resolution that could save you falling victim to an attack is to make sure you’re using the latest version of the operating software for all your systems.
Hackers are continually seeking out bugs and exploitable weaknesses in software and when these are reported or detected through regular, best-practice checks, developers design a fix which is then sent out as a firmware update.
This is an ongoing battle – just as quickly as developers find solutions to vulnerabilities in devices, hackers find new ways of getting in – and manufacturers are working hard to stay one step ahead to protect their customers from criminals looking get into their systems.
This is why updates are released regularly and it’s vital not to put your networks at risk by ignoring the updates, whether it’s for a server, computer or a printer.
Don’t overlook your printers
If your printing devices have direct communication channels with the internet, they can provide a point of entry into your organization which hackers can use to access your sensitive information. Even if you have the right firewalls in place, there is still a risk.
So, don’t allow your printers and scanners to be a chink in your armour – resolve to always install updates as they land and avoid making your systems an easy target for hackers.
Make sure your printer have the latest firmware update by using our Brother firmware update tool or find out more on how to update your printer or scanner’s firmware here.
1Quocirca: https://quocirca.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Quocirca-Print-Security-Feb-2019-Final-Web.pdf