February 24, 2008

Multi Function Printers (MFP) as Security Risks

Your MFP is not just a simple printer. It's a complex computer with built in storage, web server, processor and other juicy things that make it the target of a hacker who wants to gain valuable information you store on this device or that processes through it.

eWeek writes "All the information that's being printed, scanned and faxed is susceptible to theft," O'Connor said. "Once under an attacker's control, it is simple to covertly save copies of other people's data on the machine's hard drive. With built-in network, fax/modem and network capabilities, there are a variety of ways to smuggle the stolen information out of an organization once it's been captured.”

Securing your printers from attack is something beyond the average computer skills of your regular small business owner. However, make sure you update your hardware and software and work with a trust local security expert to ensure your MFP is ONLY a MFP and not a gateway for hackers.

The solution "Ask things like, Do they do a security review of their code?” he said. “Do they issue patches and fixes for security bugs? Do they have tools for the IT staff to better manage the devices and gain some visibility into what's going on under the hood?

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