HP Security Report Identifies Critical Vulnerabilities in SME Print Workflows as 57% of Firms Overlook Printer Safety

HP research finds 57% of SMEs overlook printer security, while 55% of users bypass print policies, leading to significant data breach risks.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 11, 2026, 11:52 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from MicroScope

The Overlooked Node in Cybersecurity Strategies

HP’s latest investigation into the SME print market has exposed a worrying disregard for print security among smaller organizations. According to the "Workflow Wakeup" report, 57% of SMEs do not consider printer security a priority within their cybersecurity frameworks. This neglect persists despite the fact that printers have evolved into highly connected, sophisticated devices that handle sensitive information, ranging from payroll data to proprietary contracts. HP suggests that this "blind spot" is one of the most significant risks to the modern hybrid work environment.

User Behavior and Policy Evasion

A major contributor to the security gap is the lack of internal discipline regarding print protocols. The research found that 55% of users admit to bypassing established print policies without considering the potential impact on privacy. Furthermore, 50% of SMEs lack the necessary visibility to track who is printing what and when. This lack of an audit trail means that misdirected scans or uncollected documents can lead to quiet data leaks that go undetected by traditional IT monitoring tools.

The Complexity of Legacy and Mixed Fleets

Market research from Quocirca supports HP’s findings, noting that more than half of the SME community has already suffered at least one print-related data loss. Quocirca CEO Louella Fernandes highlighted that many companies are struggling with "mixed fleets" that combine modern hardware with legacy devices. These older printers are often difficult to integrate into centralized security management platforms and lack the necessary firmware to support modern patches, creating an administrative burden that leaves the network vulnerable to lateral movement by cybercriminals.