You’ve locked down your school’s Wi-Fi network.
You’ve trained your staff on phishing scams.
You’ve invested in firewalls, antivirus, and endpoint security.
But what about… the printer?
It might sound like something out of a movie, but it’s true: your network-connected printer could be the biggest cybersecurity risk in your school.
The Printer Problem You Didn’t Know You Had
In a real-world cybersecurity experiment, hackers remotely accessed and hijacked over 28,000 printers in a matter of minutes. No sophisticated hacking tools. No technical backdoors. Just basic oversight and unsecured devices.
And these weren’t exotic or outdated models—just standard office printers, the same kind found in front offices, media centers, teacher lounges, and administrative buildings across the country.
Why Hackers Love School Printers
1. They’re often unmonitored.
While laptops and servers get security updates and antivirus software, printers are rarely checked—or even thought about—after setup.
2. They’re connected to your network.
Anything on your network can be an entry point. Once hackers access a printer, they may be able to move laterally across your system.
3. They store data.
Many multifunction printers store scanned documents, print logs, and even cached files. That means student records, IEPs, HR forms, and internal memos could be sitting inside a vulnerable device.
4. They’re overlooked during audits.
Security assessments often focus on workstations and cloud platforms. Printers, unfortunately, fall under the radar—and that’s exactly what hackers count on.
What Can Happen If a Printer Is Compromised
📂 Sensitive data theft – Anything that’s been scanned, printed, or copied could be accessed.
🦠 Malware injection – Hackers can use the printer as a launchpad to install ransomware or spyware on your network.
🔒 Access escalation – A compromised printer may allow hackers to move to more critical systems, like student information platforms, HR software, or district servers.
📨 Spam distribution – In some cases, attackers can even use your printer to send spam or phishing faxes to others, harming your reputation.
How to Lock Down Your School’s Printers
✅ Change the default password – This is the #1 way hackers gain access. Most printers still use “admin/admin” or similar factory defaults.
✅ Disable unused features – If you’re not using remote printing or faxing, turn those features off.
✅ Segment printers from critical systems – Use VLANs or other network segmentation tools to isolate your printers from student records, HR systems, and administration platforms.
✅ Update printer firmware regularly – Just like your computers, printers need updates to patch known vulnerabilities.
✅ Include printers in cybersecurity audits – Make device security a part of your ongoing risk assessments and vendor evaluations.
Your Printer Might Be Quiet—But It’s Not Harmless
It’s easy to forget that printers are, at their core, connected computers. They may not have a keyboard or screen, but they still run operating systems, store data, and connect to your school’s most important systems.
And if you’re not securing them, hackers will take notice.
Start With a FREE Discovery Call!
Let’s make sure your school’s printers—and everything else on your network—are properly protected. We’ll help you assess vulnerabilities, update your defenses, and train your staff to recognize hidden risks like this.
