Printer Malware & How You Can Protect Your Printer From It

The world of cybersecurity is constantly evolving, and new threats are emerging daily, and these days, it seems like a day doesn’t go by without a well-known name suffering some kind of security breach.

Due to the majority of today’s multi-functional printer’s having wireless capabilities, it opens them up as an attack gateway and makes them susceptible to viruses and malware.

In this post, we share the best security software you can employ to protect your printer, and ultimately your business.

The reason why printer malware is becoming more common is because of the way that our printers are being used. In particular, the way most printers are now connected via cloud services and can be accessed from anywhere, and from any Wi-Fi enabled device.

Anyone who intends to hack the network your business uses and steal sensitive information, can do so if your printer is not secure and connected via cloud services.

– Hackers can access confidential information about you, your business and your employees.

– Hackers can intercept print jobs or completed print jobs and can gain access to sensitive print data.

So, what exactly should you look out for to help prevent yourself from falling victim to attacks?

In some respects, the signs that your printer has been infected with malware are similar to the general signs of a malware infection on your computer, the signs include unusual behaviour by your printer, such as not responding to your commands, printing unauthorised print jobs and refusing to install security updates.

There are a number of basic security measures you can undertake to help protect yourself from printer attacks. Here is what you can do:

Secure Print

The secure print function on your HP or Konica Minolta machine allows you to print confidential documents

– 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 username and time for each print job to track the information for security purposes

Keep drivers up to date

Updated drivers can contain bug fixes, stability improvements, and even new features that can help protect your printer.

Bitdefender is a security software that scans all in and out coming data like print jobs, scans, faxes or encrypted pdf box files for potential malware and virus. This ensures not only a safe operating environment for the user, but also prevents the diffusion of potential risks to the outside through the MFP.

Want to know more about securing your printer? Get in touch with one of our friendly and professional team today.