The Dangers of Smart Printer Devices

Printers are definitely not what they used to be a decade ago. They have evolved and are becoming more involved in organizations’ networks, as well as an increase in multifaceted functions that have made them vulnerable and threaten the stability of the entire network. Hackers and insiders have made their case by causing internal and external data breaches through these printers.

Nowadays although there has been a great push to secure mobile devices and their data, organizations neglect to additionally secure their network and internet-enabled printers. The reason this is such a concern now, is that from these mobile devices you are now able to print, scan to email, network drives and scan to web-hosted applications.

“Many hackers will be able to access the entire network through tracking the metadata of printed documents, or by hacking the passcode of the MFP. Whether these breaches are caused by an attack from an unauthorized outsider, or internal factors, such as human error, systems must be put in place to resist disruption to the network,” said Grant Howard, who is Professional Services Technical Manager at Annodata in a recent article regarding that “Smart print devices are an untapped opportunity for hackers…”

In another recent blog post, we proposed that taking a data-centric approach to your security can give you a more complete view on how sensitive data is used in your organization. Controlling and managing access to printers, secure mobile printing and tracking and auditing usage are three challenges that come to mind when it comes to securing printers. These three challenges must also be part of this solution.

Some of the key benefits of secure printing are as follows:

· Increased document security – avoids unauthorized use

· Increased user mobility and productivity – print anytime, anywhere securely

· Improved accountability – tracking printer usage for auditing purposes

With these protective measures, Fasoo ePrint provides an effective yet secure print management solution. If Fasoo ePrint detects sensitive information in a document, a predefined policy can block printing. It controls and traces printed documents on your existing printers, so you can continue to use your current output devices.

When used with Fasoo Enterprise DRM solutions, it extends the security area and provides stronger protection for personal information maintained within organizations. This then provides a wider range of solutions to protect not only your printouts but also you data.

With this solution out there and ready to be implemented, it is time to mitigate and eliminate the risk of data breaches through printers as there are already too many making headlines that could have been avoided with this solution.

Photo credit by: Phil Campbell

When Data Breaches Come from Within

Insider threats still remain to be a higher concern for business not only in the United States, but around the world. Businesses are more than ever expected to maintain or increase their data security and data protection budgets to mitigate the risk of insider threats. When we look at business today, more than 93% of U.S. respondents to a survey say the feel vulnerable to insider attacks. There is no doubt that those that come from within in a business pose the most threats.

Nowadays, preventing data breaches have become the one of the highest priority for IT security spending and based on recent headlines, the cloud and databases are the most at risk. Unfortunately, it is only until after an organization experiences a data breach or fails a compliance audit, do organizations “play catch-up” to secure the their sensitive data. Privileged users still remain the greatest threat, but contractors and service provide, along with business partners still pose a threat within the inside. Whether it is malicious or unintentional, the fact that sensitive information remains unprotected even with all these headlines is beyond any consumer’s guess.

Some of you may think, our perimeter defenses is strong, we don’t have to worry about data breaches. In this case, they won’t stop an insider attack from happening. Insiders have two major things that make them more dangerous than an outsider. Insiders already have network access, sometimes at a high level. They also know much of what is on the network as well as where.

To truly combat the insider threat, a much more persistent and complete approach to security is needed. As always mentioned, it is not so much about the user or the perimeter as it is about the data itself. Any data that is protected by Fasoo Enterprise DRM (Digital Rights Management) can provide that security both against insider threats and external hackers. The reason here, is as mentioned, Fasoo protects the data itself no matter where it goes. Whether it is malicious or accidental, insider threats continue to make the headlines each month, and we cannot sit back and let these incidents continue to happen.

With you data DRM protected, and secure with the right security against data breaches, organizations can take a stand and say enough is enough. Keep your data secure with Fasoo Enterprise DRM.

Photo Credit: Perspecsys Photos

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The Dangers of Smart Printer Devices

When Data Breaches Come from Within