Printers continue to pose a significant and often overlooked cybersecurity risk to businesses in Europe, as only 15% of employees who have had training on new cyber threats have been specifically trained on printer security. This is according to a new pan-European survey of 11,000 office employees conducted by Sharp Europe, a leading provider of business technology products and services.
The survey reveals that despite the growing concern over cyber threats, many businesses are failing to secure their printers and multi-function printers (MFPs) or provide sufficient training to employees, leaving organisations vulnerable to data breaches and cyberattacks. In fact, according to these employees, nearly one in four (38%) European businesses has no specific IT security measures in place to cover printers.
It seems that many office workers, having adapted to remote work, have developed poor printer security habits. A concerning 30% admit to printing files sent via email from home on work printers, while 23% print files downloaded from websites without considering the associated risks. Worryingly, only 16% of employees are aware that leaving print-outs in MFP output trays can present a significant cybersecurity threat.
Alarmingly, the research found that only 10% of employees see MFPs as the greatest IT security threat in the office. This highlights that businesses aren’t recognising and addressing the security risks posed by seemingly innocuous office devices, emphasising the urgent need for businesses to rethink their approach to office cybersecurity.
Roland Singer, Vice President of IT Services at Sharp Europe, commented: “Printers are often overlooked in a business by those that use them daily as posing no cyber threat, so they can be a prime opportunity for cybercriminals. Our findings highlight the critical need for businesses to secure all office devices, including printers, and ensure that employees are adequately trained to recognise the risks and prevent attacks. In today’s cyber landscape, securing printers must be an essential part of a comprehensive IT security strategy.”
Further insights and advice on security preparedness for small and medium sized businesses can be found here.
Notes to editors
Research
The research was conducted by Censuswide from 30 October 24 – 8 November 24 and responded to by 11,003 employees within SMEs from 11 countries including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.
About Sharp Europe
Sharp Europe enables small-to-large enterprises and organisations to enhance performance and adapt for their workplaces of the future through a range of business technology products and services.
Headquartered in London, Sharp Europe serves customers in the private and public sectors, Education and Government, with a portfolio ranging from printers and advanced flat screen technologies, collaboration platforms, through to IT services.
As part of Sharp Corporation, and with the backing of Foxconn, Sharp Europe is investing and leading the industry in new areas of technology that have the potential to change the world. It developed the world’s first commercially available 8K monitor and in 2019 launched the world’s first certified Windows collaboration display.
To find out more about how Sharp Europe is changing the future of work, please visit www.sharp.eu.
For more information, please visit www.sharp.eu.
