Copiers: A HUGE Security Risk

[Captain Jack Harkness]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20002830-10391695.html

This is rather unsettling.  Seeing as how most businesses use copiers, you pretty much have no control over the security of your information if you go to places that use copiers made after 2002.

After watching our CBS News investigation tonight you'll see the dangers posed by digital copiers. Modern-day copiers - anything built after 2002 - are essentially computers that store an image of every document scanned, copied or emailed onto a hard drive.

Once that rather stunning fact sunk in,  I started doing the mental calculation - adding up the number of times over the years I've used the office copier or that 24-hour shop down the street to make copies of my tax returns, investment portfolio, driver's license, passport or bank records. Safe to say, it was not a good feeling.

As part of our investigation we purchased copiers at a warehouse where 6,000 used copiers sat around waiting to be shipped to new buyers. As it turns out, our copiers contained tens of thousands of documents.

You won't believe what we found.

The copier industry seems stuck in finger-pointing mode. Those that manufacturer copies point to those that lease; those that lease point to those that distribute; and vice versa. Outside of a few companies (one of which we highlight in our story), nobody seems to be stepping up, speaking out about the hidden risk of personal identity theft, the hidden threat to business security.

[The Illusive Man]

This is not unsettling, anyone with even at least A+ certification knows that such hardware has to be destroyed (not degaussed!).

[Damen]

Imagine all the butt-cheeks stored on those copiers.

[Arctic Knight]

This is why, when I was a security manager in the military, there was an extremely short list of copiers authorized for use in copying classified.  None of the ones on the list could have any kind of long term storage.