Printers Could Pose Data Security Threat

Office printers are being overlooked as a potential data security threat, it has been claimed.

While most firms, for example, might print out an employee form containing personal information when a new worker starts their first day, what they don't always realise is that if the printer they've used has a hard drive it will record a copy of that information.

That means somebody within the organisation could potentially access it and, if it ever gets thrown out, it could be available to anybody.

Talking to amednews.com, Larry Kovnat, product security manager for Xerox, said firms need to remember that printers with hard drives are digital, just like PCs.

"The reasons why they wouldn't just throw out a PC, they have to treat copiers the same way," he told the website.

Mr Kovnat said it's important, therefore, to check if your printer has a hard drive. It's unlikely, admittedly, that a single-function machine would have one, but it's more likely a multifunction does and even more so for central printers, that control and manage several computers' print jobs.

He said a simple way to check is simply to search online for the make and model of the machine.

According to ABI Research, spending on network and data security will nearly double by 2016.

Posted by Canzil Ahmed.