PRINT SECURITY
HP has kicked off its ‘HP Secure’
campaign with the premiere of HP
Studios’ web series,
The Wolf
, starring
award-winning actor Christian Slater.
The short films directed by BAFTA and
Emmy nominee Lance Acord and edited
by Academy Award winner Kirk Baxter
highlight how corporate networks can be
hacked and what companies must do to
protect themselves.
In the series, Slater systematically
hacks a company – from the mailroom
to the boardroom – through overlooked
vulnerabilities and poorly secured
printers and PCs. This first instalment
makes the point that security is no
longer just the responsibility of the
network or something at the perimeter,
but a concern for everyone.
“Hacking is a serious and growing
problem for businesses and consumers.
When HP asked me to partner on
this series, I thought it was a great
opportunity to help educate the public
about how to better protect against
cyber-attacks,” said Slater.
Over the coming months, HP will be
doing more to address printer security
through a broad range of partnerships,
events and product innovations.
Vikrant Batra, Global Head of
Marketing for Imaging and Printing,
said: “The printers in today’s enterprise
environments are as sophisticated as
any computing device. Hackers can pull
data from a printer’s hard drive or get
access to your company’s network. And
how many times have you walked by the
printer and seen printouts with sensitive
information just sitting there?
“Securing devices, data and identities
is a critical concern for everyone,
everywhere. At HP we are committed
to meaningful progress in securing the
future of computing – making the world
HP Secure.
The Wolf
is a call to action to
raise awareness.”
Antonio Lucio, HP Chief Marketing
and Communications Officer, added: “As
the universe of connected devices grows
exponentially, so does the sophistication
and magnitude of cyber-attacks.
Securing devices, data and identities
is an imperative in driving continued
confidence in technology.
The Wolf
is a
creative way to raise awareness of this
growing challenge for companies.”
14
PRINT.IT
Implementing a print security plan
In order to secure their printer
estate, Quocirca advises
organisations to take the following
measures:
n
Ensure print devices are part
of an overall information security
strategy.
Printers are no longer
dumb peripherals and must be
integrated into an organisation’s
security policies and procedures.
n
Adopt a security policy for the
entire printer fleet.
In the event
of a data breach, an organisation
must be able to demonstrate that it
has taken measures to protect all
networked devices. An organisation
should be able to monitor, manage
and report on the entire fleet,
regardless of model, age or brand.
n
Secure access to the network.
Like other networked devices, MFPs
require controls that limit network
access; manage the use of network
protocols and ports; and prevent
potential viruses and malware.
n
Secure the device.
Hard disk
encryption adds an additional layer
of security, securing stored data
that’s actively being used by the
device, sitting idle on a device,
and/or used by the device in a
previous job. To avoid the risk of
data being recovered when the
MFP is moved or disposed of, data
overwrite kits should be employed
to remove all scan, print, copy and
fax data stored in the hard disk
drive.
n
Secure access.
Implement user
authentication to eliminate the risk
of unclaimed output being left in
printer trays. User authentication,
also known as pull printing, ensures
documents are only released to the
authorised recipient.
n
Secure the document.
In
addition to access and device
controls, digital rights management
capabilities can further
discourage unauthorised copying
or transmission of sensitive or
confidential information. This can
be achieved by enabling features
such as secure watermarking,
digital signatures or PDF encryption.
n
Ongoing monitoring and
management.
To ensure compliance
and to trace unauthorised access,
organisations need a centralised
and flexible way to monitor usage
across all print devices. It is
therefore important for auditing
tools to be able to track usage at
the document and user level. This
can be achieved by using MFP audit
log data or third-party tools, which
provide a full audit trail that logs the
...continued
identity of each user, the time of use
and details of the specific functions
that were performed.
n
Seek expert guidance.
Manufacturers and MPS providers
continue to develop and enhance
their security products and
services. Take advantage of
security assessment services that
evaluate potential vulnerabilities
in the print infrastructure. Note
that not all assessments are
equal. Ensure that the assessment
provider demonstrates the
credentials to fully evaluate the
security risks across device, data
and users. There are also a range
of security certifications that are
published by the National Institute
for Standards and Technology.
Ultimately, print security
demands a comprehensive
approach that includes education,
policy and technology. In today’s
compliance-driven environment
where the cost of a single data
breach can run into millions,
organisations must proactively
embrace this challenge. By using
the appropriate level of security
for their business needs, an
organisation can ensure that its
most valuable asset, i.e. corporate
and customer data, is protected.
Organisations
should be
able to
monitor,
manage and
report on the
entire fleet,
regardless of
model, age or
brand
HP has teamed up with actor Christian Slater in
The Wolf
, a series of
short films designed to raise awareness of the security risks facing
businesses and consumers
What nice data you have
