Your Office Printer Is a Security Risk. Here Is What to Do About It.
A staff member sends a client contract to the printer, picks it up from the tray, and thinks nothing of it. Meanwhile, that same printer has been quietly storing copies of every document it has ever processed - tax records, employee files, client information - sitting in its internal memory, connected to your network, accessible to anyone who knows where to look. Most practice managers never think about this. Cybercriminals do.
Modern printers are not simple output devices. They connect to your network, talk to the internet, and hold documents in memory long after the job is done. That makes them a legitimate entry point for anyone trying to get into your systems. The reason they are such an attractive target is exactly the reason most businesses ignore them - they look boring. Attackers look for the weakest link, and in many professional services businesses, it is the printer sitting in the corner.
The risk is not abstract. A printer with a default password and no firmware updates is, in practice, an open door into your network. Someone who gets into your printer can potentially access connected computers, intercept documents in transit, and extract stored data - all without triggering the alerts you might have set up for other systems. For a business handling confidential client information, that is a serious exposure under the NZ Privacy Act 2020.
Good printer security does not require you to become an IT expert. It means making sure the basics are handled properly: default passwords changed, firmware kept current, network access restricted to trusted devices only, and print queues cleared after jobs complete. Encryption matters too - when a document travels from a computer to a printer, that data can be intercepted if the connection is not secured. Most modern printers have encryption built in, but it often needs to be switched on deliberately. Keeping credentials strong across every device is part of a security posture that prevents most breaches.
Physical hygiene counts as well. Documents left in print trays are a straightforward data leak. Staff printing from personal phones introduce another risk, because mobile devices are easier to compromise. A short conversation with your team about what gets printed, how it gets handled, and what to do with sensitive pages they do not need goes a long way. Your wider cybersecurity posture is only as strong as the habits of the people in the office.
The practical step here is to treat printers the same way you treat computers: keep them updated, restrict access, and have someone check the settings regularly. If your IT support is not already including printers in their security reviews, that is worth raising. A device that touches client documents every day should not be sitting outside your security framework for professional services.
ITstuffed works with professional services businesses across Canterbury to make sure devices like printers are not the gap in an otherwise solid setup. If you want to know where you actually stand, a 15-minute IT Fit Check at itstuffed.co.nz/booking is a straightforward place to start.