Copier Security Continues to Gain Awareness
Back at the first week of May, we discussed the CBS News report about copier security that was gaining so much attention. It has come as a surprise to a lot of people that copiers containing hard drives are continually and, quite frequently, returned to the office supply center with sensitive data still housed inside. In fact, it has drawn the attention of Congressman Edward Markey, who wrote a letter to the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission urging him to look into the matter. The FTC has responded, assuring Markey that they will reach out to those in the copier and office supply industry “to ensure that they are aware of the privacy risks associated with digital copiers and to determine whether they are warning their customers about these risks, whether they are providing education and guidance on this subject, and whether manufacturers and resellers are providing options for secure copying.”
The FTC goes on to say that their own security measures, as well as those of other government agencies, call for the erasure and destruction of the hard drives in copiers before they are returned. However, they will reach out to government contractors as well to ensure they are aware of the risks.
This issue did not spring up overnight – most copiers have had these capabilities for over a decade. While it is encouraging that the news report has drawn so much attention to the issue, this is only a first step. We hope that the events of the last few weeks will increase the momentum of awareness. In the meantime, has this issue been investigated in your office? Or, are you addressing it now? Let us know what you discover!
by Charlotte Rose, CIPP
Senior Investigator, Kroll Fraud Solutions
Tags: copiers, data security, FTC, hard drives, privacy risks, sensitive personal information
well we haven’t had any such problems about data privacy risks associated with digital copiers but we are aware about it and the enormous risks posed to data and identity theft, but as a former field auditor and IT auditor in training, i have developed and written some security procedures on how company information is disseminated, technology is changing everyday and auditors (Financial & otherwise) should develop skills and technology in their fields to protect company info. like i always canvased in our weekly Monday morning meetings, keep the recording and data dissemination phase SIMPLE !!!! with all the networking and looping of one output device to the other, it is easy for privileged information to be intercepted and bridged, especially when the whole of the information is operated on particular server on the internet.
speak to you again,
Thanks
Bigtonyaudit