Intelligent CISO Issue 22 | Page 75

gaining better control over data access and security? On the other hand, we shouldn’t ditch printers and revert to simply handwriting everything. Printers: A security risk or asset? In today’s world, printers don’t just print paper. They also print the RFID tags that are used to track valuable assets as they move across each supply chain touchpoint. They print the barcoded labels that are critical to inventory management and loss prevention – and the shipping labels that improve accountability and traceability as packages speed from a warehouse shelf to your front door. They print access cards, ID cards, credit cards and many other valuables that we need. Organisations are prone to countless points of vulnerability every day. All www.intelligentciso.com | Issue 22 businesses should make a concerted effort to identify the threats and take measured steps to mitigate them. More often than not, the focus is on the cybersecurity climate. Businesses must learn from the past and carefully assess current threats to anticipate and protect against new tactics that someone might use to breach a network broadly. With an increasing number and severity of data breaches, businesses should not have to worry about security when adding a new device or printer to their networks. Whether in a wired or wireless fashion, every device they connect should have mechanisms built in to help prevent, detect and fortify against cyberattacks such as a data breach or denial of service. Printers are no exception. Since they are capable of transmitting sensitive data across a network that, if not secure, could be accessible to unauthorised parties, printers could be a cyber-target. That is why it is so critical to assign security controls to printers specifically. Implementing the right software There are printers out there that have several new features that make it easier for customers to configure their printers Organisations are prone to countless points of vulnerability every day. 75