Currently, due to the transformation towards a digital world and to some extent the pandemic, remote work has increased. However, one of the threats that is often forgotten when it comes to this new way of working is the security of the printers. For this reason, we must ensure the protection of printing systems against intrusions and compromises. Today in this article we are going to talk about how the way printers are used has changed, and also the importance of protecting printers to avoid attacks .
Remote working changes the way you use printers
Before the Covid-19 pandemic began, teleworking was gradually increasing. Now, with the Coronavirus, what has caused this process to accelerate enormously.
Working remotely was becoming more prevalent. As workers telecommute from home, this implies new needs. In addition to needing access to company networks and office hardware, they also need to use a printer. As a result of all this, according to Deloitte , this situation caused a rebound in the sale of home office printers.
IT staff are facing new scenarios with challenges to secure increasingly decentralized networks. In this hybrid workplace reality, we are challenged to protect traditionally unforeseen targets like printers. The security of printers to avoid attacks and compromises is a new element to deal with.
Printer security
Quocirca’s 2019 “Global Print Security ” report found that 59% of businesses in the UK, US and Europe had experienced a printing-related violation in the past year. Furthermore, in another Quocirca survey they commented that 83% of IT managers were somewhat or quite concerned about the security of what we print on our home printers.
Printer security has not always been the same. Previously, because printers were equipped with read-only memory, they were less vulnerable to hacking or reprogramming. However, modern printers have a full operating system, write memory, downloadable apps, and online firmware update.
This causes us to suffer:
- Direct outage attacks, by exploiting older firmware versions to take over and stop the printer from functioning.
- Man-in-the-middle attacks that expose sensitive confidential data.
- Leveraging exposed Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) ports to gain access to the network.
How to improve printer security
Now we are going to explain some ways to help protect our printing systems against attacks. One way to start may be to create a completely secure supply chain from start to finish. Manufacturers have to reduce the chances of malware being installed. Additionally, multi-layer tamper evident packaging is also important in minimizing vulnerabilities.
Hardware security is essential, multiple layers of protection must be included to help detect and remediate attacks. Firmware plays a key role and your original code must be protected against tampering. Using secure chip cartridges with built-in security and proprietary firmware may also be of interest. These can help us protect against third-party interference as information is transferred from the chip to the printer.
Proactive testing and upgrading of our printer firmware is required. In that sense the firmware is only as good as its code. Manufacturers must therefore test the security of their printers and cartridges to ensure that they can withstand malicious attacks. Another very important factor is firmware updates. These updates not only provide us with the latest features, they also fix bugs and protect us against the latest security vulnerabilities. Therefore, a good measure is to have it updated either automatically or manually.
Lastly, printer security depends on our awareness and is partly in our hands. Recognizing this issue and making it a priority is a step we must take to manage and mitigate these threats. Checking if we have the latest firmware update installed can be a good starting point.