Printer security gets the Hollywood treatment in new HP campaign

Online mini-movie launched to encourage businesses to lock down their printers to secure their network

HP has recruited Hollywood actor Christian Slater to front a new online movie about printer security.

The printer and PC firm aims to "elevate awareness" of the security risks posed by unsecured printers in the six-minute-long online movie. In it, Slater plays the role of a hacker, who via a company's printer manages to expose sensitive information about an imminent acquisition to the world.

During the film, he intercepts physical documents which have been printed, and uses the unsecured printer to access secure information from the entire network.

HP claims the film "reinforces that security is no longer just the responsibility of the network or is something at the perimeter, but a concern for everyone".

HP has made efforts to promote printer security since splitting from HPE, presenting it as a prime opportunity for partners to earn additional margins from security services on top of traditional print sales.

Alex Tatham, managing director of HP distie Westcoast, told CRN that printer security is an important issue that he is pleased the vendor is bringing to the fore.

"I am delighted HP is bringing the security of all network devices, including printers, to the market," he said. "It's a widely overlooked area and the channel will benefit from looking at this problem."

When it comes to securing networks, PCs and servers are among the first to spring to mind for the IT department, but printers are often overlooked, according to Quocirca analyst Bob Tarzey.

"There are issues around print security," he said. "For starters, paper is still a good way to find out info. It helps criminals on their way into systems just poking about in the wastepaper basket. If you print a document about your management responsibilities to others in the company, if you don't collect it from the printer, it is in plain sight. There are all sorts of data leakage issues.

"Then the printer itself is a device which is online, so it is hackable, like any IoT device. IT departments worry about PCs and servers, but not the printer. They have memories and disks and jobs lined up on them, so when you dispose of a printer, those files may still be there. There have been cases where printers have been found on the second-hand market with secure info on them. There are all sorts of reasons why printers on the network are as equal a threat as other devices on the network."