The Best Security Software to Protect Your Printer
Last Updated on June 16, 2020 by Christian Ralph
It seems like a day doesn’t go by without a company suffering a massive breach of security. It could be argued, that it’s becoming commonplace. Today’s hackers are nifty and have the wherewithal to do major damage to computers around the world by installing malicious hardware.
Because more and more of today’s multi-functional printers boast wireless capability, they offer the ultimate convenience for users. Unfortunately, this also leaves them wide open to viruses or hacking from outside.
We share the best security software you can get to protect your Xerox, HP or Samsung printer:
Why is printer security important?
Multi-function printers are just as likely to contract a virus or malware as computers.
The nature of wireless networks, which enable people to send data to printers, means they are susceptible to meddling from outside forces.
Even after we’ve printed files, there’s still the danger of the jobs being stored up in the print queue on the device.
Anyone who intends to hack the network your business uses and steal your company’s information, can do so if your printer is not secure. It’s really important to make sure internal Wi-Fi connections are protected with security software to avoid such a breach.
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What security software is available for printers?
Xerox printers
Xerox recommends McAfee software to prevent unauthorised access from hackers. The ConnectKey software sends you an alert to let you know that your printer’s files have been tampered with.
It also contains configurations to reduce the need for manual software updates to handle imminent threats.
Another type of software recommended for Xerox printers is Cisco, which offers a secure external email connectivity that encrypts data transfer between multifunction printers and externally hosted mail servers. This means that mail servers are protected when sending digital files.
Samsung printers
Samsung printers offer a Secure Login Manager to prevent people from getting access to multifunction printers. You can set up ID and passwords, as well as PINs to access the machine, creating an additional security barrier for image files or any stored documents.
In addition, a Confidential Print feature accounts for the risk of leaving printed pages unattended on the printer as anyone could pick them up. Samsung printers hold submitted jobs until the intended recipient is waiting at the device. Only when a PIN code is entered, can the job be securely delivered to the right hands.
HP printers
With HP Enterprise printers, software is built-in to protect the device and detect attacks automatically. These printers can even ‘self-heal’ from a virus!
One example is the Enterprise M506dn which includes the data protection functions. In addition to the hardware, HP has developed multiple bespoke software programs designed to help make printers more secure, intuitive and simple to use.
A run-time code integrity feature allows devices to be protected while they are operational and connected to the network.
What additional measures can I take to protect my printer?
• Set network permissions on your computer to limit who can manage and access print jobs.
• Print jobs which are stored on the device, should be encrypted
• Keep your printer software up-to-date if it’s not already embedded in your device
• Use features which show the user name and time for each print job to track the information for security purposes
Hopefully this post demonstrates why printer security is so important. If you still need more assistance with which software would be best to install for your specific model, you can contact the manufacturer, for example Samsung printer support or support for HP printers UK.
