Printer security is the protection of networked printers and multifunction devices from misuse, data exposure, and persistence by attackers. Administrators change default credentials, patch firmware, restrict management access, secure print queues, and monitor for stored document leakage, altered configurations, and printers used as a foothold into the network.
What printer security protects
Printer security protects networked printers and multifunction devices as active endpoints, not passive office peripherals. The core concern is that these devices often store documents, retain credentials or settings, and expose management interfaces that can be abused if they are treated as low-value assets.
Because printers sit on the same network fabric as user workstations and file services, weaknesses in one device can affect more than print output. A compromised printer may reveal queued documents, cached scans, address books, or administrative access paths that should be managed with the same seriousness as other connected systems.
Common attack surfaces in printers and multifunction devices
The main exposure points are the device admin interface, firmware, print spool and queue handling, stored jobs, scan-to-email or scan-to-folder workflows, and any remote management service that is reachable from the network. Default passwords, legacy protocols, and exposed web consoles are still common failure modes.
These devices are also attractive because they often sit outside normal endpoint protection coverage. Attackers look for weak authentication, outdated firmware, and overly broad network reachability, then use the device for document theft, configuration tampering, or as a foothold for broader internal movement.
Data exposure and persistence risks
Printer security is not only about keeping jobs confidential in transit. Many devices retain images of printed, copied, or scanned documents, which can expose sensitive content long after the original task is complete. Stored address books, cached credentials, and audit logs can also leak operational or personal data.
Persistence is another concern. A printer that keeps altered settings, rogue firmware, or malicious forwarding rules can continue exposing data even after the original compromise is forgotten. Hardening guidance from CIS Benchmarks is useful here because many of the same control ideas apply to device hardening, service reduction, and secure configuration.
How printer security fits into broader network defence
Effective printer security depends on treating the device as part of the enterprise trust boundary. That means limiting management reach, isolating print infrastructure where appropriate, monitoring configuration changes, and reviewing whether the printer can access resources it does not need. The same logic behind least privilege and segmented access applies even when the device looks mundane.
For organisations that want a broader device-security reference point, NHIMG’s IoT Security Guide is relevant because many printer controls overlap with other embedded and network-connected devices, especially firmware management, segmentation, and device-level trust assumptions.
Risk and Threat Considerations
Printers create security risk when they are trusted too much for too long. A device that stores documents, exposes management functions, or keeps weak defaults can become a disclosure point, a staging area for persistence, or an internal pivot point that is easy to overlook during routine monitoring.
Failure mechanism: Attackers exploit weak authentication, exposed admin services, stale firmware, or retained document data to read queued output, alter forwarding behaviour, or preserve access on the device.
Impact: The result can be confidentiality loss, unauthorized document retrieval, tampered print and scan workflows, and lateral movement from a peripheral device into more sensitive parts of the network.
Standards & Framework Alignment
This section maps relevant standards and security frameworks to the operational risks and controls described in this guidance.
CIS Controls v8 and NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 set the technical controls, while ISO/IEC 27001:2022 defines the regulatory obligations.
| Framework | Control / Reference | Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| CIS Controls v8 | CIS-5 — Account Management | Printer admin accounts and defaults are a direct access-control concern. |
| Recommendation — Remove default printer credentials and enforce unique administrative access for every device. | ||
| NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 | CM-6 — Configuration Settings | Printer hardening depends on secure device configuration and reduced exposed services. |
| IA-5 — Authenticator Management | Printer security often depends on changing, protecting, and rotating device credentials and secrets. | |
| AC-17 — Remote Access | Printer management interfaces and remote admin paths must be restricted to trusted administrators. | |
| Recommendation — Apply approved secure baselines to printer configuration and disable unnecessary functions. Manage printer passwords and other authenticators with controlled issuance, storage, and rotation. Restrict printer administration to approved management paths and trusted administrative users. | ||
| ISO/IEC 27001:2022 | A.8.9 — Configuration management | Printer firmware and settings require controlled configuration baselines and change handling. |
| Recommendation — Control printer configuration changes and review firmware-related updates under formal change management. | ||
Practitioner Guidance
Why practitioners should care: Printer security is usually won or lost through basics, but those basics matter because printers often process high-value documents and are easy to ignore in asset inventories. Make the device part of standard hardening, patching, and exposure management rather than a separate office-equipment exception.
What to watch for: Reused default credentials, unexpected remote access, unexplained configuration changes, unusual outbound traffic, and document retention behaviour that does not match policy are all indicators that the device deserves investigation. If a printer can reach resources it never legitimately needs, its trust boundary is probably too loose.
Practitioner takeaway: Treat printers as managed endpoints with their own lifecycle, logging, and access controls, and verify that stored data, admin paths, and firmware updates are governed as deliberately as any other network asset.
Related resources from NHI Mgmt Group
- How do security teams know whether printer access is actually controlled?
- How should security teams secure SMB ports without breaking file and printer access for users?
- What do teams get wrong about printer security when they treat multifunction devices like simple office peripherals?
- How does printer security work?