Multifunction print devices are becoming more powerful, more user-friendly and functionalities are increasing. There is a saying "With great power comes great responsibility". Which system administrator still wants to have an uncontrolled, unsecured PC or laptop in their network in 2022? So why would you allow an unsecured powerful computer based multifunction printer (MFP) onto your network?
At Toshiba, we follow and implement the latest security standards. Techniques such as secure access with a PIN, card or smartphone are applied to all our machines. Secure printing and scanning via the same technology are also standard and ensure that your documents do not fall into the wrong hands. In addition, we use techniques to allow only authorised (internet) traffic through and via secure connections with SSL certificates and prevent malware through whitelisting authorised applications. However, hackers methods constantly evolve as the technology continually develops. So it's time to introduce the next layer of security in our MFPs: TPM 2.0. In other words, the Trusted Platform Module 2.0.
Why Trusted Platform Module 2.0?
No matter how well an MFP is protected against intruders, it can’t prevent hackers from trying to gain access in the future. To reduce the risk of data theft the stored data is encrypted or has already been safely deleted. Hackers will not benefit from the (temporarily) saved print and/or scan files. However, just like PCs, MFPs have an operating system. This is where it becomes interesting for a hacker. After all, an operating system means that the hacker can also install and run malicious software. They will try to install malicious software on your printer/MFP that further maps your network to gain access to servers and PCs that are vulnerable. Annoying? To say the least! Dangerous? For sure! And it is precisely these kinds of scenarios that a TPM module and other security features help to prevent.
What is Trusted Platform Module and what does it do in the MFP?
The Trusted Platform Module is the security chip on the motherboard of your MFP. This module is present in many types of devices supporting various levels of security functionality. For the purpose of this blog, we focus on the specific tasks within a Toshiba MFP.
Additional and very extensive information can be found at: What is a TPM chip? - Analyst IT. One of its functions is to provide hardware-level security to secure and encrypt your data with a unique encrypted key so if an attempt is made to physically remove the SSD/HDD and plug it into another device to retrieve the information it would be impossible to do so as part of the cryptographic key is stored on the TPM chip.
With the new generation of e-STUDIO MFPs from Toshiba, we not only protect the device, but we also prevent your data from being stolen. A nice extra security feature that is standard on these devices.
2.0?
TPM was first introduced in 2009 and has since been used in, for example, computers, ATMs, set-top boxes and previous generations of multifunction printers. TPM 2.0 is an update and an improving version, whereby TPM 2.0 is equipped with modern and secure encryption standards, such as SHA-256. With the use of TPM 2.0, Toshiba is one of the few multifunction printer suppliers ready for the security standard of today and the future.
