Cybersecurity is more than just a buzzword that has risen in popularity over the last decade. In fact, cybercrime has been growing at an astronomical rate over the years and the global pandemic has only exacerbated the issue. While hackers are great at accessing unsecured computers, it may surprise you that printers could end up being the weak link in your business’s security.
Hacking into printers isn’t some brand new trend that came about in the last year. According to BBC News hackers broke into over 100,000 printers and forced the machines to print messages regarding internet celebrity PewDiePie in 2018. In a more recent attack, over 28,000 unsecured printers were hacked in hopes to raise awareness about the vulnerability of printers. Though these larger hacks were mostly harmless, it is alarming that so many printers remain unsecured across the world.
Many people imagine computers as the primary target of hackers rather than printers. The misconception that printers do not contain sensitive information is one of the main reasons that cyber criminals like to target them. Most printers now come with some form of internal storage so they can save queued documents that are waiting to be printed. By breaking into an unsecured printer, cyber criminals can access those queued documents, previously printed documents, and could even get into your business’s entire network. In addition to accessing copies of confidential information from printers, hackers are able to send unauthorized print jobs and orchestrate distributed denial-of-service attacks. Even if your network and computers are as secure as Fort Knox, an unsecured printer could be the kryptonite that brings your security crashing down.
Once a cybercriminal has broken into one of your printers, they are able to access all sorts of information and do what they would like with the device. There are some simple steps you can take in order to better protect yourself and your business from potential harm.
All of the suggestions above are easy to implement measures to better guard against hackers but one of the best things you can do is to secure your printing ports. An unsecured port is one of the easiest ways for a cybercriminal to access a printer and break into your network. Following all these tips can help to deter cyberattacks but the unfortunate truth is that hackers are continuously evolving and findings new means to breach security.
Print management solutions can help to increase your security and allow you to sleep soundly when it comes to printing. Having a solution in place that allows for improved management and security will keep your business safer and running smoothly. To learn more about Tricerat’s environment agnostic print management solution check out ScrewDrivers today.
