Zero-Trust Printing: Essential Steps to Secure Your Print Network

Printing devices and networks often get overlooked when it comes to cybersecurity, but in today’s digital world, they’re common targets for attackers. Sensitive information transferred during printing can be intercepted, leading to data breaches, financial losses, and damage to your reputation.

The rise of hybrid workplaces, where employees print from various locations and devices, requires a more robust security approach. Traditional network-based security solutions might not be enough to protect remote or mobile printing. This makes securing your print network more important than ever. Implementing a zero-trust model helps secure your print environment no matter where your users are or what devices they use.

A zero-trust model works on the principle that no device or connection is trusted by default. Rather than using a traditional network perimeter to safeguard your resources, a zero-trust strategy requires verification of every connection and request before access is granted. This approach helps to prevent unauthorised access and limits the impact of potential breaches.

Assessing Your Network

To effectively secure your print network, it is essential to identify and address potential weak points:

Devices: Printers, scanners, and copiers can be entry points for cyber threats. Are all devices secured with passwords, access control and authentication (e.g. 2-Factor Authentication), and the latest firmware updates and patches?

Documents/Data: Printed documents often contain sensitive information. Is data encrypted to prevent it from being accessed or tampered with during the printing process? Are you using secure printing features such as watermarking or digital signatures? Are jobs deleted after they are completed?

Network: Is the network connecting your print devices secured to prevent unauthorised access and data interception? Do you have network segmentation, firewalls or VPNs in place? Are you routinely monitoring and auditing print activity?

Users: Even the most talented employee can make mistakes. User error, such as sending documents to the wrong printer or leaving sensitive documents unattended, can lead to data breaches. Are your team properly trained and aware of security risks?

Securing Your Network

Here are steps to create a secure print network using zero-trust principles:

Implement Strong Authentication: Use authentication, such as Multi-Factor or 2-Factor Authentication*, for accessing print devices. This ensures that only authorised users can send jobs to print.

*uniFLOW Online allows access card and additional password/PIN authentication.

Encrypt Data: Encrypt all data transmitted between devices and the network to protect it from interception.

Regular Updates and Patches: Keep all print devices up-to-date with the latest security patches and firmware updates to protect against known vulnerabilities.

Access Control: Implement role-based access controls to restrict access to print functions based on user roles and responsibilities.

Monitor and Audit: Continuously monitor print activities and maintain audit logs to identify and respond to suspicious activities promptly.

Secure Print Release: Use secure print release solutions that require user authentication at the device before printing, ensuring that documents are not left unattended.

Software solutions like uniFLOW Online and Papercut Hive can make these security measures easier to implement. These tools offer comprehensive features such as secure print release, user authentication, and detailed audit logs, which align with zero-trust principles and enhance the security of your print environment.

Securing your print network is an essential step in protecting your organisation's sensitive information. By implementing a zero-trust approach, you can reduce risks and ensure that only authorised users have access to your print devices and data. At Agilico, we offer comprehensive managed print services that include robust security measures such as uniFLOW Online and Papercut Hive. Our solutions are designed to help you create a secure and efficient print environment.

Secure Your Print Network Today with Our Managed Print Services

Whatever your security requirements are, from basic authentication to complete zero trust, get in touch today and discover how the friendly Agilico team can help safeguard your print environment with our smart security solutions.