SCANNER SECURITY
CONTINUED
Tony Moor senior director, Silicon Lab Services
and enhance security.” Steve agrees that document scanners are an important part of a secure corporate network. “Minimally every scanner should secure the network data path from the scanner into an enterprise system via TLS encryption,” he says. “In addition to encrypting the data path, scanners from Kodak Alaris also use a secure boot process that validates ‘trusted’ firmware before executing; this process eliminates a potential security vector to help protect critical business information.” Reseller conversations When talking to customers about scanner security, there are various things that resellers should be mentioning. “Resellers can play a crucial role in educating customers about scanner security by offering services such as risk assessment to help customers assess their specific security risks,” says Andrew. “They can also educate customers about the security features of different scanners and explain the importance of keeping software and firmware up to date.” Steve notes that it’s important to convey differentiating security features. “Network security depends on several factors that are independent of the devices on a network; resellers should focus on the device’s built-in security features that contribute to a secure environment, such
as TLS encryption and a secure boot process,” he says.
IOActive.com
Continuing threat All commentators believe that the threats to document scanners will continue to grow in the coming months and years. “Cybersecurity risks are likely to grow in the coming months and years due to increasingly sophisticated attack techniques, including ransomware and convincing telephone or email scammers,” says Andrew. “Businesses and resellers must be proactive to help mitigate these evolving threats.” Steve notes that cyberthreats are always evolving. “But most of the effort by black hats is centered around social engineering, because it’s easier to hack people than it is to hack secure code,” he says. Tony adds that they will continue to be a target for attackers if they are not secured properly. “Highly confidential scanned or printed documents could be recovered from scanners/printers,” he says. “Malware can potentially be loaded onto cloned or non-genuine consumables such as printer ink and toner. 3-in-1 printers, scanners and copiers especially are relatively low value items and are replaced regularly in homes and small business environments, so steps need to be taken to limit the attack surface for nefarious actors.”
Malware can potentially be loaded onto cloned or non-genuine consumables such as printer ink and toner. 3-in-1 printers, scanners and copiers... “ ”
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