Your printer is a ‘weak link’ and putting your organisation at risk right now
Print security is once again in the spotlight, after new research revealed that 61% of enterprises have suffered an insecure printing data breach – despite print security being essential for data privacy compliance and maintaining business operations.
The research, conducted by Quocirca and Y Soft, surveyed more than 1000 responses across 200 enterprises.
48% are vulnerable to printer hard disk theft or retrieval; 50% of print jobs are intercepted on the print queue or network; 47% leave unclaimed print jobs on an output tray; 44% of documents are scanned from a multifunction device (MFD) to the outside world. 18% of those MFDs are not secure on the network.
"As organisations increasingly connect to the Internet of Things, their cyber-attack surface expands. Internet connected multifunction devices are one such endpoint that can be readily exploited, placing sensitive information at risk. Organisations need to ensure their printing is secure," says Y Soft Australia's managing director, Adam O'Neill.
Y Soft says that any multifunction device can be an internet-connected endpoint, making them vulnerable to cyber attacks. Document security should be imperative, given the financial, legal and reputational consequences.
"This requires a comprehensive approach that includes education, policy and technology. With the aid of a secure workflow management platform and employee training, implemented by a trusted provider, organisations can feel comfortable that their valuable data is protected," O'Neill says.
Within the organisations, there are risks to sensitive data too, as it can be distributed in ways that can cause harm.
"Multifunction printers have long been a 'weak link' in organisations IT infrastructure. Businesses must smarten up and include print security in their risk assessment and overall security strategy. Deploying a secure workflow management platform is the best line of protection for organisations to control unwarranted access to their network and IP, while enhancing the employee print experience," O'Neill says.
