DocuSense Blog

Digital Copier Security: Is There a Thief in Your Copy Room? Article Three

July 27th, 2010 by admin under Multifunction Printer MFP. 1 Comment.

Digital Copier Security, Separating Fact from Fiction;

Last article we discussed what happens to your MFP once it leaves your building. Recently, there has been much on-line discussion from users, manufacturers and leasing companies related to copier security. Some of the conversation contains misleading or untrue statements.

Here are four discussion points to help you separate myth from fact:

1) Manufacturers state that they have addressed security problems with their devices.

MISLEADING:

• Manufacturers have addressed many of the security problems but only for models made from 2007 to present.
• Many models now coming off lease (those manufactured between 2002 and 2007) did not offer adequate security protection. They’re the devices that are at most risk and they’re the ones being traded-in now.

2) All you need do is replace the hard drives with new ones before returning them to the leasing company
UNTRUE:

• If you pull the existing hard drive and replace it with a new one, the replacement drive won’t contain the manufacturer’s installed firmware (proprietary software instructions normally found on the hard drive) to make the device functional. Replace the hard drive and then return the equipment to the lease company without firmware re-installed and the device won’t work. Then you could be liable for the remaining buyout value of the machine (in most cases, thousands of dollars).
• You’d also still be leaving network information on the NVRAM (Non-volatile random access memory – memory chips) containing email addresses, network structure etc… which is good information for hackers.

3) Leasing companies now claim to clean the device.
MISLEADING:

• Some leasing companies will now clean the screen. That means they will attempt to erase address books and your network information from the NVRAM. Will they get all your information erased? That’s a chance you’d have to take.
• Even if they do a good job of removing all the data in NVRAM, that still leaves the hard drive images unsecured.

4) Manufacturers state that images on the hard drives of their devices are stored using proprietary language that cannot be accessed.

UNTRUE:

• The images are still stored and the proprietary way they are stored is easily accessed with rudimentary software.

Bottom line:

Don’t necessarily believe pacifying information about the security of the data on your MFP. It’s your information and you will need to protect it.

Previous Articles:
1. How significant is the security risk?
2. What happens to your MFP once it leaves your building?

Upcoming Articles:
4. What are manufacturer’s doing to correct the problem?
5. What can you do to protect your organization?

Want immediate help?  Contact DocuSense at 1-800-422-0080 or Digital Copier Security at 1-530.672.9300

Any comments or information about this article are welcome!

Tags:Digital Copier Security.