Samsung talks printer security

March 12, 2018

A new interview with two of the OEM’s personnel explains the company’s printer security measures.

Samsung Printing Solutions have published an interview with its Vice President Harris Han, who is also Group Leader of the Software & Solution R&D Group at Samsung Printing, and his colleague and security architect Kwangwoo Lee, of the Software R&D Lab. In the interview, the pair discuss the preparations made by Samsung to accommodate forthcoming security regulations such as GDPR, and the security of the OEM’s products and solutions generally.

Han explained that “no additional development was required to accommodate Europe’s GDPR”, such was the security already provided by Samsung Printing, and he added that the OEM’s measures are actually broader and more rigorous than those required for GDPR compliance.

To address one of security’s key blindspots – the fact that printers are often operating 24 hours a day – Samsung has developed the ‘Image Overwrite’ function, which deletes all saved information within the storage device after a set period of time. The pair also explained Samsung’s three-step security process (Secure Development, Secure Maintenance, Security Certification) which is designed to mitigate the risk to customers of security breaches. The first step ensures that products and solutions have security built in to their design, whilst the second and third steps deal with monitoring and solving security-related problems after the launch of the product. Secure Maintenance, via the Samsung Printing Computer Emergency Response/Readiness Team, provides prompt assistance 24 hours a day upon receiving reports of security problems from printer users. Han declared that the CERT’s “speed in problem-solving definitely exceeds the needs of the GDPR.” He also said that such strengthening of information-related regulations was “an opportunity for Samsung to show our strengths. Security will continue to be one of the key differentiating factors that encourage customers to choose Samsung’s solutions.”

 “Samsung provides seven security features on our printing devices – Secure User, Fax, Data, Document, Network, Management and Platform,” explained Han further. “Each category is implemented with a variety of security-related solutions, such as User Authentication for pull printing in the Secure User feature, the Image Overwrite solution in the Secure Data feature and Watermark and Stamp solutions in the Secure Document feature.”

Lee added that “in preparation for the GDPR, Samsung has also adopted the ‘privacy by design’ concept to securely process clients’ personal data online.”

“Collected personal data is processed in secure manner, using means like alias processing and encryption, and all information also gets automatically destroyed within the system,” he continued. “We confirmed with legal experts that this method was securely constructed for personal information protection.” 

Categories : Around the Industry

Tags : OEM Printers Samsung Security