Fujifilm: Is your MFP network a weak link in your cybersecurity defences?
Law firms are committing substantial and growing resources to cybersecurity – PwC’s 2024 Law Firms’ Survey reported increased cybersecurity spending across the Top 50 firms, including a 42.6% rise among those ranked 11–25. However, despite considerable spending increases overall, gaps in security systems often persist. Office multifunction printer (MFP) networks (which regularly handle confidential client information) are frequently underestimated as a security risk and are often responsible for these security gaps.
Recent warnings about critical flaws in PHP, software widely used to run websites, have brought cybersecurity back into the headlines. The National Cyber Security Centre urged organisations to update affected systems immediately, reinforcing the importance of identifying vulnerable software and applying security updates.
Modern MFPs are computers in their own right, running specialised operating software, often equipped with internal storage and connected to the firm’s network. Every day, they process unredacted evidence, corporate acquisition terms, trade secrets and clients’ personal information. Neglected security settings or unpatched firmware can leave the device and the information it processes exposed.
What a security breach can cost a law firm
Quocirca’s Print Security Landscape 2026 study found that 67% of organisations surveyed across the UK, France, Germany and the US had experienced at least one print-related data loss in the previous year. The financial fallout was substantial: the average reported cost of a print-related breach had risen to just over £1 million.
Despite the risks, Quocirca has reported that only 29% of small and medium-sized businesses had a formal process for assessing print security risks, compared with 43% of large organisations.
The security risks in printing and scanning
The main risks arise from how an MFP stores document data, how its supporting software is maintained and how files travel across the network.
When a document is scanned or printed, data may remain on an MFP device after the paper leaves the tray. Devices with internal hard drives or other storage may retain document data, including jobs held for later printing. Without appropriate encryption, access controls and deletion procedures, that information could remain exposed while the device is in use or after a leased machine is returned.
The software that manages print queues can introduce separate vulnerabilities. If security updates are missed, attackers may be able to exploit weaknesses to gain unauthorised access to the print system. Securing the MFP therefore also requires firms to maintain the software and servers that support it.
Finally, the connection used to send a scanned document to an internal folder may leave its contents exposed. Older or poorly configured systems can transmit files without adequate encryption, allowing an attacker with access to the network to intercept sensitive information.
What firms should check to improve MFP security
Security features can protect the confidential information processed by an MFP, but firms must configure those controls for their workflows and keep them up to date.
A practical review should establish what each device stores, how documents travel to and from it, and who can access them at each stage. Firms should assign responsibility for checking security settings, applying updates and deleting stored data before equipment leaves the premises, with the supplier and IT team each accountable for their agreed tasks.
How Fujifilm helps protect documents
Reducing these risks means securing the MFP itself and protecting the documents it stores and sends. Fujifilm’s “Born Ready” approach is built around four pillars: Smart, Secure, Sustainable and Dynamic. The Secure pillar covers controls designed to protect the device and the information passing through it.
Fujifilm’s Apeos MFPs encrypt stored data and support encrypted connections when sending files across the network, Apeos MFPs support encrypted connections to help prevent others from intercepting their contents. They also check for changes to their software and let administrators control who can change device settings. IT teams still need to keep the workstations and servers that support printing up to date.
Staff can identify themselves at the printer before releasing a confidential print job, reducing the risk of someone else seeing or collecting their documents. Administrators can also limit who can use particular functions and set up fixed scanning destinations to help staff send files to the right place.
Extending security controls across the document workflow, including printing and scanning, can reduce gaps in the protection of confidential client files.
