Top tips to stop hackers from exploiting your office printers

Top tips is a weekly column where we highlight what’s trending in the tech world and list practical ways to explore these trends. This week, we are tackling a lesser-known but growing cybersecurity risk in modern workplaces: printer-based attacks.

Let's start with a simple scenario.

It's a quiet evening at the office. Most employees have gone home, the lights are dimmed, and the network continues running as usual. In one corner of the floor sits a printer that has been there for years. Throughout the day it prints invoices, HR documents, project plans, and sometimes confidential financial reports.

Nobody really thinks about it. After all, it's just a printer.

But imagine someone scanning the company's network from outside. They're not looking for laptops or servers first. Instead, they notice something else: a printer that responds to the network, quietly connected like any other device.

That small discovery could be the beginning of a security incident. Fortunately, with a few practical steps, organizations can prevent this situation from ever unfolding.

The forgotten device on the network

Start with a printer fleet audit

The first step to securing printers is simply knowing what you have.

Many organizations accumulate printers over the years. A few were installed years ago, some were moved between departments, and others were added during quick office expansions. Eventually, no one has a clear picture of how many printers actually exist on the network.

This is exactly the kind of environment attackers take advantage of.

A printer fleet audit helps IT teams discover every device connected to the network, identify outdated models, check firmware versions, and understand how they are being used. Once everything is visible, it becomes easier to apply consistent security policies and retire devices that no longer meet security standards.

Then comes the easiest door to open

Change default passwords immediately

Now imagine one of those printers still uses the factory default credentials.

For attackers, this is the equivalent of finding an unlocked door. Many default credentials are publicly available, meaning a hacker doesn't need sophisticated tools, just a bit of patience. With a simple scan, someone could gain administrative access to the printer and change its settings or intercept print jobs.

Changing default passwords is one of the simplest and easiest steps to take.

The document left behind effective ways to secure printers. Replacing them with strong, unique credentials ensures that only authorized administrators can access the device settings.

A small change like this can shut down a surprisingly common attack path.

The document left behind 

Enable secure printing

The next day, an employee prints a confidential report before stepping away for a meeting. The printer finishes the job quickly, and the pages sit quietly in the output tray.

Anyone passing by could read them.

This type of accidental exposure happens more often than organizations realize. Secure printing helps prevent it by ensuring documents are released only when the user is physically present at the printer.

With PIN-based printing or ID card authentication, employees must verify their identity before documents are printed. It's a simple safeguard that protects sensitive information from being seen or taken by the wrong person.

The printer that leaves, but takes data with it

Clear printer data before retiring devices

Eventually, the printer is replaced with a newer model. The old one is sent to recycle or resale.

What many people forget is that printers often store temporary copies of documents in their internal memory or hard drives. Without proper data clearing, those files could still remain inside the device.

Before retiring a printer, organizations should ensure that all stored data is securely erased and that the device is reset to factory settings. Treating printers like any other data-handling device prevents sensitive documents from leaving the organization unintentionally.  

The warning signs hiding in plain sight

Monitor printer logs for unusual activity

Printers generate logs that record who printed what and when. Most of the time, these logs go unnoticed, but they can reveal early signs of trouble.

For example, a sudden spike in printing activity late at night or unusual print jobs sent when the office is empty could signal suspicious behavior. By regularly reviewing printer logs, IT teams can detect anomalies early and investigate potential security issues before they escalate.

Final thoughts

Printers rarely make it onto the list of devices that organizations worry about most. Yet they sit at the intersection of network connectivity, data range, and document processing.

In other words, they are far more powerful and vulnerable than they appear.

By auditing printer fleets, changing default credentials, enabling secure printing, wiping devices before retirement, and monitoring activity logs, organizations can close a security gap that often goes unnoticed.

Sometimes, the biggest cybersecurity risks are not the systems everyone watches closely but the devices quietly working in the background.