Are Your Thermal Printers a Cybersecurity Blind Spot?
In our interconnected digital world, businesses of all sizes—from local shops to global logistics firms and retail chains—rely on a vast network of connections to operate. While bringing untold benefits, these connections are also potential entry points for unscrupulous actors to access, breach, or disrupt enterprise systems. Among these entry points is your thermal printer. While serving an important function within business operations, they are often overlooked in cybersecurity planning. Are your thermal printers secure?
For example, Cybernews conducted an experiment to determine how many unsecured printers they could potentially hack, and the results were sobering. Through readily available Internet of Things (IoT) search engines, they identified 500,0001 unsecured printers that could be targeted, and successfully hacked 28,000 of them. What is more, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center, in 2023, security breaches saw a 72%2 increase from 2021, which held the previous all-time record. The conclusion is undeniable‒unsecured printers pose a significant risk, and with cyberattacks on the rise, they are a vulnerability that you cannot afford to ignore.
Understanding the Risks & Cybersecurity Frameworks
When evaluating the security of your thermal printers, it’s important to take a structured approach—one that addresses both technical vulnerabilities and organizational requirements. The key vulnerabilities to keep in mind include unauthorized access of printers with open network ports or unsecured web interfaces, interception of sensitive data from print jobs, and the use of printers as a bridge to deploy malware into broader enterprise systems.
You can then organize your security measures methodically and effectively around key cybersecurity principles, frameworks, and regulations. These include the CIA Triad, which emphasizes three core principles ̶ confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Another one is the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, which provides a comprehensive lifecycle for managing cybersecurity risks.
In addition, there are also governmental regulations such as the EU’s Radio Equipment Directive (RED). This is a directive for devices with wireless communication functions, including printers equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or RFID.
TSC Auto ID Printer Security Features and Vulnerability Disclosure Program
To meet established cybersecurity standards for enterprises, TSC Auto ID printers already come equipped with many security capabilities. They include, but are not limited to, firmware authentication, TLS/SSL encryption, and remote management tools. Beyond this, they also incorporate multiple configurable controls to support secure deployment, such as role-based access control (RBAC) and firewall capabilities, to name a few.
What’s more, TSC Auto ID maintains a dedicated vulnerability disclosure program to report and resolve security issues. We offer a secure channel for customers and partners to report vulnerabilities. This proactive approach helps maintain transparency, minimize risk exposure, and support responsible disclosure best practices—critical elements for enterprise trust.
Take Control of Your Thermal Printer Security
As cyber threats become more frequent and advanced, your cybersecurity strategy must include all networked devices, including thermal printers. By understanding potential vulnerabilities and security frameworks and fully leveraging the security capabilities built into TSC Auto ID printers, you can mitigate risks and protect your operations without sacrificing efficiency.
For more information, complete the form below and download our thermal printer security white paper.
1 Paulius Soltanas and Jurgita Žilinskaitė, "We Hacked 50,000 Printers and Forced Them to Print a Cybersecurity PSA," Cybernews, August 24, 2020, https://cybernews.com/news/we-hacked-50000-printers-and-forced-them-to-print-a-cybersecurity-psa/.
2 Identity Theft Resource Center, 2023 Annual Data Breach Report (San Diego, CA: Identity Theft Resource Center, 2024), 2.