Most businesses spend heavily securing networks, laptops, servers, email, and cloud applications. Then – they leave dozens of network-connected printers sitting inside the firewall with outdated firmware, open ports, stored documents, weak passwords, and almost no monitoring.
Cybercriminals are counting on that oversight.
Today’s multifunction print and copy devices are full-scale network endpoints with operating systems, internal storage, cloud connectivity, user credentials, scan-to-email workflows, and remote access capabilities.
If compromised, a single printer can become a hidden entry point into your network — often without triggering immediate detection.
According to HP security research, 61% of organizations experienced a print-related data loss, while only 19% of IT decision-makers said they were completely confident in their print security infrastructure.¹
For businesses that handle financial records, HR data, healthcare information, contracts, legal documents, or customer information, an unsecured print environment can create serious exposure.
Why Printers Are a Prime Target for Cybercriminals
Printers process an enormous amount of sensitive business information every day, including:
- Payroll records
- Financial statements
- Customer data
- Contracts
- Employee files
- Intellectual property
What many organizations fail to realize is that modern printers can store copies of scanned and printed documents, connect directly to cloud platforms, retain user credentials, send emails externally, and allow remote administration.
Many also operate with outdated firmware or unsecured network settings that IT teams rarely monitor closely. That combination creates significant security exposure.
According to HP research, unsecured printers can expose businesses to risks such as:
- Unauthorized access to print data
- Malware insertion
- Print job interception
- Data disclosure
- Wireless network attacks²
Cybercriminals actively target overlooked endpoints because they are often far easier to compromise than protected laptops, servers, or cloud systems.
How a Print Breach Can Start
In many organizations, printers are connected to the same network as employee workstations, financial systems, file servers, and cloud applications.
An attacker may exploit outdated printer firmware to gain access to the device. From there, they can:
- Capture print jobs containing sensitive information
- Move laterally across the network
- Steal stored credentials
- Deploy malware
- Monitor scan-to-email workflows
- Establish long-term hidden access
Because printers are rarely monitored like traditional endpoints, attacks can remain undetected for extended periods.
The Risks Sitting in Your Print Environment
Most businesses are surprised to learn how many vulnerabilities exist inside a typical printer fleet.
Documents Left in Output Trays
One of the simplest security failures is also one of the most common.
Sensitive documents left unattended at printers can easily fall into the wrong hands. Financial records, HR reports, legal contracts, and customer information are often abandoned in output trays for hours.
In regulated industries, this alone can create compliance violations.
Unsecured Firmware and BIOS Attacks
Modern printers run firmware and embedded operating systems. If compromised, attackers may gain persistent access to your network.
Print Jobs Intercepted on the Network
Every print job travels across your network.
Without encryption and proper security controls, attackers may intercept documents while they move between users and devices.³
Unsecured Scan-to-Email and Cloud Workflows
Today’s multifunction devices scan directly into email systems, cloud repositories, and business applications. If those workflows are improperly configured, sensitive data can be exposed externally without anyone realizing it.
Outdated Printer Firmware
Many organizations update laptops and servers regularly but neglect printer firmware entirely. That creates long-term vulnerabilities attackers can exploit for months or even years.
Weak Administrative Controls
Default passwords, open ports, unsecured protocols, and unrestricted access settings are still common in many office print environments.
HP research specifically warns that unsecured ports and protocols such as FTP and Telnet can create serious security vulnerabilities,³ allowing unauthorized users to access devices and potentially the broader network.
Compliance Exposure Most Businesses Overlook
For organizations across Canada, unsecured print workflows can create significant privacy, regulatory, and legal exposure.
A single unattended printout containing employee records, financial data, healthcare information, customer details, or confidential business information may trigger:
- PIPEDA privacy violations
- Provincial privacy investigations
- Regulatory reporting requirements
- Financial penalties
- Contractual liability issues
- Mandatory breach notifications
- Reputational damage with customers and partners
Industries such as healthcare, legal, finance, education, insurance, and government face even greater scrutiny because of the sensitive information they process every day.
In many cases, businesses only discover these vulnerabilities after a security incident, audit, or data exposure has already occurred.
The Financial Impact of Print Security Failures
A print-related breach is not just an IT issue. It can become a financial, operational, legal, and reputational problem overnight. Research from HP and Quocirca found that print-related breaches cost as much as $10M USD, depending on the business size and printer fleet.4
Additional consequences may include:
- Regulatory fines
- Lawsuits
- Loss of customer trust
- Operational downtime
- Cyber insurance complications
- Ransomware exposure
- Brand damage
For businesses already dealing with growing cybersecurity demands, print infrastructure is now viewed as a top security risk.³
Why Traditional Security Tools Are Not Enough
Many organizations assume firewalls and endpoint protection automatically secure printers, but print devices require dedicated protection strategies because they function differently from standard endpoints. They need:
- Firmware integrity validation
- Runtime intrusion detection
- Secure boot protection
- Continuous monitoring
- Encrypted storage
- User authentication controls
- Secure pull printing
- Policy enforcement
- Compliance reporting
Without these protections, your print environment may remain one of the least protected parts of your infrastructure.
What a Print Security Assessment Can Reveal
A formal assessment can help organizations understand the risks inside their print environment and uncover:
- Devices operating with outdated firmware
- Open network ports and insecure protocols
- Weak administrative credentials
- Unsecured cloud workflows
- Missing encryption settings
- Compliance gaps
- Unprotected scan workflows
- Improper user permissions
- Devices storing sensitive data
- Unmonitored print activity
We find that in many cases, security weaknesses have existed for years without detection.
Protect Your Business Before an Incident Happens
Cybercriminals are constantly searching for overlooked entry points. The question is not whether your print environment contains vulnerabilities – it’s whether someone finds them before you do.
Digital Business Systems helps organizations secure their print infrastructure with modern print security technologies, managed print services, and expert security assessments designed to reduce risk and strengthen compliance.
If you are unsure whether your printers are exposing your organization to unnecessary risk, now is the time to find out.
Schedule a print security assessment with Digital Business Systems and identify vulnerabilities before attackers do.
Footnotes
- HP Secure Managed Print Services (MPS) Brochure, “Defend Your Network With The World’s Most Secure Printing.”
- HP Article, “Round off your document and data protection strategy with print security.”
- HP Secure Managed Print Services (MPS) Solution Overview.
- The Print Security Landscape, 2025, Quocirca
