October marks Cybersecurity Awareness Month—a critical time for organizations worldwide to evaluate their security postures against an evolving threat landscape. As artificial intelligence transforms both attack methods and defense strategies, one category of device often remains overlooked in security discussions: printers.
The convergence of AI capabilities with traditional cybersecurity challenges creates new vulnerabilities and opportunities. Recent industry research by Quocirca shows that 61% of organizations have experienced data loss due to unsecured printing, with small and medium businesses facing particularly severe impacts—70% reporting print-related breaches costing an average of nearly £1 million each.
As AI-powered threats become more sophisticated and printing infrastructure becomes increasingly connected, the industry faces a dual challenge: defending against AI-enhanced attacks while leveraging AI to strengthen security. We gathered key insights from Mopria Alliance members, Lexmark and Kyocera, to explore how the printing industry is adapting to this new reality.
The Role of Standards in AI-Era Security
“In today’s hybrid work landscape, securing print infrastructure is no longer optional; it’s essential. Lexmark encourages customers to embrace a zero-trust model, built on the principle of ‘never trust, always verify.’ This means every user, device, and transaction is continuously authenticated and authorized, even within trusted networks.
Print providers should implement an architecture that integrates zero-trust principles across their devices and services. From firmware-level protections and secure remote management to audit logging and certificate-based authentication, ensure print environments are hardened against threats.
Security isn’t a feature; it’s a foundation. Customers can gain peace of mind knowing their print infrastructure is protected by zero-trust capabilities.”
-Eric McCann, Manager, Technology Portfolio Architect at Lexmark, a subsidiary of Xerox Corporation
“In an era of AI-powered cyber threats, printers are often the overlooked entry point for attacks. Kyocera is at the forefront of secure printing innovation, leveraging Mopria standards to safeguard organizations. By standardizing print protocols, Mopria reduces exposure to AI-driven reconnaissance, eliminates vulnerable third-party drivers, and strengthens baseline defenses against machine-learning-enabled attacks.
Our Mopria certified solutions empower IT teams to maintain secure, connected print environments with confidence. With Kyocera, businesses gain not only reliable printing but also proactive protection – turning a potential vulnerability into a competitive advantage in cybersecurity resilience.”
-Dilinur Wushour, President at Kyocera Document Solutions Development America, Inc.
Navigating the AI Security Revolution
The printing industry stands at a pivotal moment. Artificial intelligence is simultaneously creating new attack vectors and enabling more sophisticated defense mechanisms. The traditional approach to print security–focused primarily on access controls and basic encryption–must evolve to address AI-powered reconnaissance, automated vulnerability exploitation, and increasingly sophisticated social engineering attacks.
However, this challenge also presents an opportunity. The same AI technologies that enable advanced attacks can strengthen our defenses through behavioral analysis, predictive threat detection, and automated incident response. Standards-based solutions like those created by the Mopria Alliance become even more critical in this landscape, providing consistent security baselines that can be enhanced with AI-driven protections.
The statistics remain sobering: print-related security incidents continue to impose significant costs on organizations. But as AI reshapes both the threat landscape and our defensive capabilities, the organizations that adapt proactively will be best positioned to thrive.
This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, consider how your print security strategy accounts for AI-powered threats. The future of secure printing isn’t just about stronger passwords or better encryption–it’s about intelligent, adaptive security that can keep pace with an AI-driven world.
To dive deeper into the importance of printer security, read our blog post, “Print Security in Focus: Why Your Printer Deserves the Same Attention as Your Firewall .”
Ready to secure your organization’s printing future? Learn more about Mopria certified devices and enterprise solutions designed with security in mind: Print for Business
The Mopria Alliance brings together leading technology companies to deliver universal printing and scanning solutions. With over 9,500 Mopria certified printer models and 120+ million certified devices worldwide, Mopria technology provides secure, driverless printing across Android and Windows platforms.
