HP seeks to 'raise the bar' for security in the printer industry

HP has joined the Buyers Lab (BLI) Security Validation Testing program for MFPs and printers to establish benchmarks for printer security industry wide.

In conjunction with this, HP has become the first OEM to earn the first and second seals for device penetration and policy compliance.

According to HP, as cybercrime has emerged as a $445 billion problem globally, printers, PCs and other IoT endpoints have become the frontline for attacks.

The Buyers Lab Security Validation Testing program was designed to verify printers that pass through their program are equipped to combat the increasingly sophisticated threat landscape.

HP president Imaging, Printing and Solutions business Tuan Tran says, "Our decision to engage in this testing program is driven by our desire to help raise the bar for the entire industry.

"We believe more can and should be done to mitigate security risks. This is an important step in driving more stringent industry standards for IoT devices, like printers, and pushing our industry to a higher standard. We encourage all our industry counterparts to join in this effort.

As an inaugural participant of the BLI Security Validation Testing program, HP has passed the first two rounds of testing and earned the Security Validation Testing seals for Device Penetration and Policy Compliance for its HP FutureSmart v4 Enterprise firmware platform, which is available on HP Enterprise and Managed printers and MFPs.

The Policy Compliance test also validated HPs ability to specify desired device security settings, save settings as a policy, apply the policy across a fleet to help ensure devices comply, and manage compliance and automated remediation of new or misconfigured devices.

HP states that programs such as this drive higher standards for security and help establish standards so customers can select the best options for their desired security posture.

HP congratulates the other OEMs that have also engaged in this program and encourages all print OEMs to participate in this effort.

Along with printers, HP provides a portfolio of personal systems and 3D printing solutions. In the past, HP has launched initiatives focused on strengthening security.

For instance, in late 2018 HP launched a program in partnership with Bugcrowd to offer rewards for researchers who correctly identify and report vulnerabilities in its printers. In fact, HP was willing to offer up to $10,000, depending on how serious the problem discovered.