Printers are under ‘unprecedented’ threat of cyber-attacks, with the popularity of web-to-print seeing them targeted on a daily basis, the PIAA says.
Communications and technology director Joe Kowalewski says print systems are vulnerable to hackers, with their systems now connected to every part of the business.
“With an increasing number of industry companies using and relying on the internet for business transactions including web-to-print solutions, their exposure to cyber-crime threats has increased to unprecedented levels,” he says.
“Security must be of paramount importance to all systems, but we know from the feedback gained in our W2P survey and report earlier this year that some systems are in-house developed and maintained.
“Even with externally provided systems, the responsibility for security rests solely with the purchaser.”
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Kowalewski says according to the Australian Internet Security Initiative there were up to 15,000 compromised systems on average each day between 17 October 2014 and 14 January 2015.
“The same server may also be linked directly to your MIS and manage your customers lists, stock inventory and accounts,” he says.
“Imagine a hacker being able to gain access to all of this and the impact that could have on your business. The unfortunate reality is, this is happening every day.
“Any printing business owner reading this could be next.”
The PIAA is holding a webinar on September 23 to provide an understanding of the threats and what printers can do to protect their businesses.
"Business owners and senior management need security protocols in place to protect their business on an ongoing basis and these are the people who need to sign on for this webinar to understand the scope of this issue and how to combat it,” Kowalewski says.
“This is one of the most important webinars we have developed because we are focusing on business threats that the vast majority of companies are not prepared for.”
The webinar is an introduction to cyber security for managers from a non-technical background and will feature guest presenter Andrew Dixon-Hughes, an information security consultant and chief executive of Axial Networks.
The webinar begins at 1pm (AEST) and will include a Q&A session.
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