Business Security Information

Since about 2002, most office copying machines have been equipped with hard drives. This is the digital revolution. The problem is that the office copier’s hard drives also store a copy of all documents that you copy. Also, since some office copiers also function as scanners, faxes and printers, copies of those documents are also kept by the copier. If a criminal steals the hard drive or copies a copier’s contents, a wealth of information related to your business, employees, and clients are at their finger tips, especially since most of the information is unencrypted.

When you get rid of the copier because the lease is up or it is old and you want a newer model, all your information is left on the copier’s hard drive. Are most old copiers junked and disposed of, or are they resold? If you said they are resold, you are correct. Most old copiers are resold to others either in the United States or, more likely, to others overseas. All the old documents on the copier’s hard drive are still there until the hard drive fills up and starts overwriting older information and is available to the new owner of your old copier.

Copier Security Issue

Other Security Concerns

Beyond the issue of having a copy of all your personal, private, and business information on the copier’s hard drive, you should be aware of some other security issues related to copiers. Most copiers these days are networked either through the local area network or a wireless network. Basically, today’s copiers are computers and if not configured correctly, they can be exposed to the same security issues of any other computer on the network. An insider such as an employee, contractor, or other person at your business can simply plug a laptop into the copier and retrieve the information off the copier’s hard drive. Someone with a little technical ability can also access the information remotely. Remember to configure copiers as securely as you do any computer that is on your network.

Copier Security Solutions

1. Contact the manufacturer of your current copier or the one you are looking to lease or purchase to see what privacy and security features they have for their copiers. Some manufacturers such as Xerox and Sharp have software available that will overwrite copied documents on the copier after the document has been printed or copied.
2. Remove and erase the hard drive’s contents before disposing of the unit. Another option is to remove the hard drive and replace it with a new one before you get rid of the unit.
3. When you get a new copier or if you have never done it on your existing copier, change the default password and, if possible, the default log-in. There are sites dedicated to finding and publishing default log-in names and passwords for routers, copiers, printers and other network devices. In my opinion, changing default passwords and log-ins is critical. Recently I added a new network printer to my network, and it had a default of admin for both the log-in and password. I could have easily set up the printer to work on the network without ever changing the default password, but the printer’s configurations would have been easily available to anyone who looked at the website of the printer manufacturer. The default log-in and passwords are clearly stated in their help information.

Any device on your network needs to be securely configured and protected just as any computer on your network needs to be. Please let me know if you have come across any security issues with your printers. Your thoughts and opinions are always welcome.

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