Security News > 2023 > February > Locking down the remote printer

According to the Quocirca Print Security Landscape 2022 report, printer security is still some way down the worry list of most IT decision makers behind hybrid application platforms, email, public networks, and traditional endpoints.

"Printer security is about understanding the threats to the network traffic, to the device itself and to the documents it prints. Every security feature you'll find in secure printers will address one of these categories of risk," he adds before going on to list a range of printer security issues.

Data security in printers is about securing the printer itself as well as the process by which printing happens.

A responsible printer manufacturer should support and update a printer for as long as it's likely to be used and not simply until it is no longer on sale, Banton-Place says.

Using a strong password goes without saying but other issues to look for include turning off services that aren't being used while ensuring that all traffic to the printer is protected end-to-end using, say, IPP over HTTPS. Does your printer need remote configuration? This creates another risk if it's turned on and forgotten about Disabling unnecessary interfaces and protocols like WiFi if it duplicates network connectivity with Ethernet can reduce the attack surface for example, while remote access can be better protected using strong passwords and encrypted connections.

For decades, printer management was all about running costs, print performance, and document confidentiality at the expense of underlying device and data security.

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