Justin Scott, senior director of DevOps and security at Vasion, urges government agencies to strengthen their Print Security posture immediately. Security leaders must stop treating printers and print servers as simple, “set-and-forget” devices. Instead, they must recognize these devices as high-value targets that hackers actively exploit. By gaining access to an agency’s printer, malicious actors can easily intercept sensitive documents, harvest credentials, and exploit the server’s privileged network access.
Identifying and Mitigating Key Vulnerabilities
Printers and print servers pose significant risks due to their privileged position within agency networks, often bridging access across multiple network segments. Agencies must take several critical steps to mitigate these deep-seated vulnerabilities. IT teams should regularly patch print servers, change default passwords immediately after deployment, segment printing infrastructure onto isolated networks, and control access permissions rigorously. These actions move agencies closer to securing their entire device perimeter.
Embracing the Cloud-Native Solution
Scott suggests that a modern, cloud-based print platform offers a robust method to address security challenges. Solutions like Vasion’s cloud-native tool eliminate the single point of failure inherent in traditional, on-premise print servers while still allowing agencies complete control over their devices. The platform employs zero trust principles, ensuring that data remains encrypted throughout the entire print lifecycle, from the user’s workstation to the physical printer.
Vasion currently provides several key features to enhance Print Security, including Secure Release Printing, Off-Network Printing, and QR-based touchless printing capabilities. Vasion demonstrates a commitment to federal security standards as it pursues FedRAMP High and Department of Defense Impact Level 4 authorizations for its cloud solution.
