How WXP Helps to Secure Your Printers and Prevent Malware Threats

When I first started working on HP print platforms that were impacted by security issues, I was surprised by how overlooked printers are in some cybersecurity strategies. We focus on endpoint protection for servers and PCs — but printers? They are often the weakest link, and hackers know it.

Through network infiltration, data theft, and malware attacks, printers remain a prime target for cyber threats. With cloud infrastructures and hybrid work environments becoming the norm, securing your printer fleet is no longer optional — it’s essential. That’s exactly why we’re building printer fleet security features in the HP Workforce Experience Platform (WXP)¹ to simplify print security while reducing IT complexity and improving digital experiences.

WXP is enabling print security, and I want to share some key steps you can take right now to protect your fleet using our zero-trust approach and print management capabilities.

1. Invest in Printers with Built-In Security

Not all printers are created equally. One thing I appreciate about HP’s enterprise printers is that they come with self-healing security, so they can detect threats and neutralize them automatically. This isn’t just a checkbox feature; it’s an industry driver:

• HP Sure Start validates BIOS integrity at every startup, stopping attackers before they even get started.
• HP Memory Shield (learn more here) monitors the memory and execution flow of the printer for unusual activity, detecting alterations such as those associated with Zero Day attacks.
• Runtime Intrusion Detection monitors memory for anomalies, flushing malware, and rebooting into a secure state.
• Allowlisting/Firmware Code Integrity checks for authentic HP firmware. It checks firmware at startup and during use to make sure it hasn’t been tampered with. If it finds something wrong, the printer restarts to a secure offline state and alerts IT.
• HP Connection Inspector continuously monitors and evaluates outgoing network connections to determine what is normal, stop suspicious requests, and automatically trigger a self-healing reboot.

Many of our printers are also Common Criteria Certified (ISO/IEC 15408), meeting rigorous security standards required by government organizations. If security is a top concern, I recommend checking out the Common Criteria Portal to see which certified models fit your needs.

2. Enforce Security Policies

One of the biggest frustrations I hear from Printer Admins is how time consuming and cumbersome it is to maintain consistent security policies across a printer fleet. That’s why we built security management directly into Workforce Experience Platform (WXP) — and we’re continuing to invest in even stronger capabilities to proactively manage printers.

The Essential Policy security settings template and policy engine are available now in beta¹, and additional Policy settings and services are planned to be available soon.

• Use security policy templates to easily configure security settings.
• Create groups of printers to manage policies at scale.
• Create, assign, and prioritize policies to a specific printer or group of printers​.
• Automatically remediate threats with our real-time policy engine.

See how easy it is to set printer policies to enhance manageability and security in the HP Workforce Experience Platform.

3. Keep Firmware Updated

Firmware updates are challenging due to ecosystem compatibility concerns. But they’re also one of the most critical defenses against cyber threats as outdated firmware can leave the door open for attacks.

With WXP, we’ve made firmware management effortless:

• Assign specific firmware versions to printers.
• Schedule updates to minimize disruptions.
• Run analytics and roll out changes securely across your fleet.²

4. Detect and Disable Rogue Printers — Before They Become a Problem

A compromised printer could be a ticking time bomb for your network. If an attacker gets in, you need to act fast. That’s why we’re planning to integrate new Printer Fleet Manager capabilities for WXP, so IT teams can:

• Restart, shut down, or remove rogue printers instantly.²
• Securely manage passwords.²
• Collect and manage server certificates to ensure strong authentication and encrypted data transmission between printers and servers.²

5. Monitor and Optimize Your Print Fleet in One Place

Printer management isn’t just about security, it’s about control, enabled through comprehensive monitoring, efficient utilization, and resolving problems proactively. WXP provides a unified platform for managing printers alongside other IT assets, enhancing performance, efficiency, and the end-user experience.

Take a look at how the platform provides status, connectivity, and associated properties of your print fleet, such as security settings and policies.

In today’s hybrid work landscape, printer security is non-negotiable. That’s why I am passionate about what we are building within WXP. It’s the only digital employee experience platform that lets you manage your printer fleet alongside your PCs and other devices.

If you’re ready to safeguard your print environment without the hassle, let’s connect. Reach out to our team today to discover what WXP can do for you and talk to us about access to these beta capabilities.

¹Print capabilities are available to select beta customers in the US only. Print is planned to be available in a future release in various tiers as an add-on solution in various term licenses.

²This document contains forward-looking statements regarding future operations, product development, product capabilities and availability dates. This information is subject to substantial uncertainties and is subject to change at any time without prior notification. Statements contained in this document concerning these matters only reflect HP Inc’s predictions and/or expectations as of the date of this document and actual results and future plans of HP Inc. may differ significantly as a result of, among other things, changes in product strategy from technological, internal corporate, market and other changes. This is not a commitment to deliver any material, code or functionality and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. All product views are illustrations and might not represent actual product, screens.