So by now you’ve probably trained finance staffers to delete anything that even looks like spam in their inbox. May not be enough anymore.
From pyramid schemes to bottom-basement deals for Viagra, spam-type messages are the last thing you want splashed across the top of any documents with your company’s name on it.
But that’s just what’ll happen if hackers pull off the latest scam on your business.
The new threat: Hackers come in through your company’s network printers and wreak havoc with your company’s documents. Here’s how it works, and how you can protect your company and its reputation from taking a potentially costly hit.
Have staffers watch where they surf
The attacks come through Internet browsers — if someone visits a Web site with a common security flaw, any networked printer could be accessed.
Not only would this constant spam clog up printers and waste ink, but it leaves your company open to more serious risks like:
- banner spam. One page of spam is bad enough, but a printer’s settings can be altered so spam appears at the top of all outgoing documents, and
- faxing. If you have a printer/fax combo, hackers can send spamming faxes or other sensitive info to any numbers stored in the machine.
So what can you do about it?
Naturally, you’ll want to consult with IT to come up with the best plan of action.
But updating Internet browsers is one solution. You also want to hook up printers directly to a computer (and off the network). That can also keep hackers out.