Key Takeaways
- Network-connected printers and multifunction devices should be included in an organization’s overall security strategy.
- Firmware updates, strong administrator controls, and user authentication can help reduce device vulnerabilities.
- Secure print release can help prevent sensitive documents from being left unattended.
- Encryption and appropriate data-handling settings can help protect information stored on or transmitted to compatible devices.
- Available security features vary by manufacturer, model, software, and configuration.
- Printer security should complement—not replace—your organization’s broader cybersecurity practices.
Businesses spend significant time protecting computers, email accounts, networks, and other technology from security threats. But printers and multifunction devices (MFDs) can sometimes receive less attention.
Modern printers do much more than produce paper documents. Many connect directly to business networks and can scan, send, receive, process, and store information.
NIST includes printers, copiers, scanners, and multifunction devices among what it calls replication devices and recommends considering the information they process, store, and transmit as part of an organization’s risk-management strategy.
That makes printer security an important part of a broader approach to protecting business information.
Here are seven steps organizations can consider when securing their print environment.
1. Keep Printer Firmware Updated
Just like computers and other network-connected devices, printers and MFDs use firmware and software that may require updates.
Manufacturers can release updates that address security vulnerabilities, improve functionality, or add security capabilities.
Businesses should establish a process for:
- Checking for manufacturer updates
- Reviewing firmware versions
- Installing appropriate security updates
- Following manufacturer recommendations
- Keeping device configurations current
Firmware updates should come from trusted manufacturer sources and be managed by authorized personnel.
Keeping devices current helps ensure that available security improvements aren’t being overlooked.
2. Secure Administrator Access and Device Settings
Default credentials and unnecessary administrative access can create avoidable security risks.
When a new printer or MFD is installed, organizations should review its administrator settings and change default credentials when applicable.
Administrative access should generally be limited to authorized personnel responsible for managing the device.
Organizations should also review:
- User accounts
- Administrator permissions
- Network settings
- Enabled protocols and services
- Remote-management settings
- Authentication options
The appropriate configuration depends on the device and the organization’s network and security requirements.
3. Use Secure Print Release and User Authentication
Sensitive documents shouldn’t sit unattended in a printer’s output tray.
Secure print or authenticated print release can hold a print job until an authorized user verifies their identity at the device.
Depending on the equipment and software, authentication methods may include:
- PINs
- User credentials
- ID cards
- Other supported authentication methods
This can be especially useful for organizations that regularly print financial information, employee records, legal documents, healthcare information, or other sensitive materials.
Some Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE DX devices, for example, support user authentication, Secure Print, Encrypted Secure Print, and related access-control capabilities.
Available features depend on the specific device and configuration.
4. Control Scanning and Document Destinations
Multifunction devices often allow users to scan documents to email, network folders, cloud destinations, USB devices, and other locations.
Those capabilities are convenient, but they should be configured appropriately.
Organizations should evaluate:
- Who is allowed to scan
- Which destinations users can access
- Whether address books should be restricted
- Which file-sharing methods are permitted
- Whether encryption is available for sensitive documents
- Whether removable media access is necessary
Compatible devices may also offer features such as encrypted PDFs, digital signatures, or access controls.
The goal is to give employees the scanning capabilities they need without leaving unnecessary paths for sensitive information to be sent or stored.
5. Protect Data in Transit and at Rest
Printers and MFDs can process significant amounts of business information.
Depending on the device, data may temporarily or permanently reside in internal storage. Information also travels across the network when employees print, scan, email, or transfer documents.
Organizations should review available protections for both data in transit and data at rest.
Depending on the equipment, these may include:
- Encrypted network communication
- Storage encryption
- Secure Print
- IPsec
- TLS
- Secure device authentication
- Data erase capabilities
For example, supported Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE DX models include capabilities such as hard-drive encryption, hard-drive erase, IPsec, TLS-encrypted communication, and Encrypted Secure Print.
Businesses should also have a process for handling stored data when equipment is replaced, returned, sold, or otherwise removed from service.
6. Use Available Device Integrity and Security Features
Some modern business printers include built-in capabilities designed to help detect unauthorized changes to device software.
For example, supported Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE DX devices offer Verify System at Startup and McAfee Embedded Control. Canon describes Verify System at Startup as a mechanism that checks system software against a root of trust, while McAfee Embedded Control uses whitelisting to help protect authorized firmware and applications from tampering.
Other manufacturers and models may provide different security technologies.
Businesses should understand which security capabilities are available on their specific equipment and work with their IT team or technology provider to determine which settings should be enabled.
7. Include Printers in Network Monitoring and Security Policies
Printer security shouldn’t exist separately from the rest of your cybersecurity strategy.
Network-connected printers and MFDs should be considered alongside other endpoints when organizations establish:
- Network security policies
- Access controls
- Device inventories
- Monitoring procedures
- Incident-response plans
- Equipment replacement procedures
Some enterprise MFDs can also integrate with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) environments.
For example, certain Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE DX models list SIEM integration among their network security capabilities.
That doesn’t mean every organization needs SIEM integration for its printers. The appropriate level of monitoring should reflect the organization’s size, information sensitivity, network environment, and security requirements.
Printer Security Is Part of a Larger Strategy
Securing your printers isn’t about enabling one feature and considering the job finished.
A stronger approach combines appropriate equipment, device configuration, access controls, network protections, firmware management, employee practices, and ongoing IT security policies.
It’s also important to remember that printer security features don’t make an organization automatically secure or compliant with a particular regulation or framework.
Instead, they can help support a broader cybersecurity and information-protection strategy.
Strengthen Your Print Environment with Offix
Offix can help businesses evaluate printers and multifunction devices with security capabilities suited to their workplace and document workflows.
Available features can vary considerably by manufacturer, model, software, and configuration, so understanding your organization’s requirements is an important first step.
Contact Offix today to discuss your print environment and explore office technology with security features that align with your organization’s needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is printer security important?
Modern network-connected printers and multifunction devices can process, transmit, and store business information. NIST recommends considering these devices as part of an organization’s information-security risk management.
How can I make my office printer more secure?
Common steps include keeping firmware updated, changing default administrator credentials, limiting administrative access, using authentication or secure print release, reviewing network settings, enabling appropriate encryption features, and including printers in broader security policies.
What is secure print release?
Secure print release holds a document until the authorized user authenticates at the printer. This can help reduce the risk of sensitive documents being left unattended in an output tray.
Do printers store data?
Some printers and multifunction devices contain internal storage that may hold or process document data. Storage capabilities and available security protections vary by model.
Can printers integrate with cybersecurity systems?
Some enterprise printers and multifunction devices offer logging, monitoring, or SIEM integration capabilities. Support depends on the specific manufacturer, model, software, and configuration.