Content updated on September 21, 2026.
More than half of organizations, 56%, reported a data security breach connected to printing in 2025, according to Quocirca's Print Security Landscape report. Printers remain one of the most overlooked entry points into a network, in part because IT teams tend to focus security budgets on laptops and servers instead. Here's what's driving the risk and how HP's built-in printer security features address it.
Your Unsecured Printer: A Hacker's Dream
Any networked printer is a potential entry point, and today's threat landscape is only getting more complex: 40% of IT decision-makers in Quocirca's 2025 survey said they're specifically concerned about AI-driven threats to their print infrastructure, and 86% said it's important for vendors to use AI and machine learning to detect these threats before they cause damage (Quocirca Print Security Landscape 2025).
How printer malware works
If a hacker gets malware onto an unsecured printer, typically by tricking someone into downloading compromised printer software, they can potentially:
- Send unauthorized print jobs
- Access confidential or sensitive documents
- Launch denial-of-service (DoS) attacks
- Retrieve copies of documents that have passed through the device
Why Printer Security Still Gets Overlooked
Despite the risk, printers are still frequently left out of broader IT security policy. Even as breach rates climb, many organizations continue to under-invest specifically in print security relative to other parts of their infrastructure, in part because printers simply aren't top of mind as an attack surface the way laptops or cloud accounts are.
The Business Case for Printer Security
Organizations that invest in a dedicated print security program tend to see fewer print-related breaches, lower IT support burden, and reduced supply costs from better fleet management. (Note to the team: the original cited specific multipliers, 6x fewer breaches, half the support time, 15% savings on supplies, from a 2016-era IDC study. I'd recommend sourcing a current IDC or Quocirca figure before republishing this section with specific numbers, since I couldn't verify those exact multipliers are still current.)
Four Tips to Enhance Your HP Printer Security
An unsecured printer is like an unlocked back door: something you wouldn't leave open at home, and shouldn't leave open on your network either.
1. Check your network needs
Think carefully about whether every printer in your office actually needs internet access. Limiting how many printers are internet-connected reduces how many potential entry points exist. Consider designating one printer for mobile printing when staff are out of the office, and connecting the rest through Wi-Fi Direct® or a local connection instead. Fleet management tools like HP Web Jetadmin can help you configure and monitor a network of printers from one place.
2. Encrypt your files
Encryption scrambles your data so it's unreadable to anyone without authorized access, even if your device or network is breached. Most current operating systems include built-in file encryption, and most HP printers automatically encrypt data that's transferred to them wirelessly.
3. Update your printer firmware
Firmware updates frequently patch newly discovered security vulnerabilities. Keeping your printer's firmware current is one of the simplest ways to stay protected against the latest threats, and HP printers make this straightforward to do directly through the printer software.
4. Invest in secure printers
Look for printers with security features that work automatically in the background, including:
- Automatic attack detection, protection, and self-healing
- Usage tracking to flag unauthorized use
- Simple, secure sign-in options like a PIN or smartcard
HP Printer Security Features
These features are part of what HP now markets under the HP Wolf Security umbrella, HP's broader security portfolio spanning PCs and printers. Here's a quick rundown of what you'll find in an HP printer:
- HP Sure Start checks the printer's BIOS at startup and automatically restores a safe, trusted copy if it detects tampering, without IT having to intervene.
- HP Connection Inspector continuously monitors outbound connection requests and automatically triggers a self-healing reboot if it detects suspicious activity.
- Firmware whitelisting ensures only HP-authentic, digitally signed code loads onto the printer's memory. If it detects non-HP code, it halts the boot process and notifies IT.
- TPM slot provides secure storage for admin credentials, certificates, and encryption keys.
- HP FutureSmart firmware is upgradeable, so new security features can be added to supported printers over time rather than requiring new hardware.
Learn More
For more on protecting your organization's data, see How to Identify Phishing Emails and Spare Your PC and 10 Simple Steps to Protect Your Privacy Online. You can also learn more about HP's approach to device security from HP Wolf Security's "The Wolf" video series.
Note Infographic is from the previous article content published in 2018.
Infographic sources:
- HP®; Printer Device Security
- International Data Corporation (IDC); The Business Value of Printer Security
- Risk Based Security; 2016 Reported Data Breaches Expose Over 4 Billion Records
- Spiceworks; Unlocked Doors: Research Shows Printers are Being Left Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks
