Industry experts agree that the level and extent of security threats today are on the rise. A report commissioned by McAfee (July 2005) states that cybercrime cost organizations US$400 billion in 2004, with 2,000 new threats emerging each month compared to 300 threats two years prior to that. It's no surprise to see businesses stepping up their efforts to secure their networks. An ounce of prevention can mean an invaluable amount of cure.

When developing IT security plans, however, many companies can easily overlook one piece of equipment -- the multifunction printing (MFP) device. A common fixture in many office environments, MFPs can print, copy, scan and fax documents. While these all-in-one devices increase productivity by being connected to the network, their connectivity is precisely what makes them potentially vulnerable to attack. Nonetheless, securing MFPs is simple once it's understood where to focus efforts.

Here are the five areas where documents generated by MFPs are most at risk:

1. From the desktop: A file can be seized en route from the desktop to the server and used either in its existing form or modified and even exploited externally.

2. At the server: Jobs sent to the MFP for printing typically sit unprotected on the server queue. At this stage, an internal hacker can pause the printing queue, copy a file, and restart the queue without noticeably disrupting the system.