Do you lease a digital copier in your retail business? If so, here is some startling information that you should know, according to Joe Larocca, Senior Asset Protection Advisor for the National Retail Foundation. He sites a recent CBS investigation which revealed a new form of hacking now being used by thieves to steal confidential information from businesses.
Every digital copier built from the year 2002 to the present contains a hard drive much like the one in your computer. Images from every document copied, scanned, or emailed from the machine are stored on this hard drive. This could include such things as payroll records, Social Security Numbers, credit card numbers, customer lists, and a host of other confidential records.
As long as the machine is in your possession, all may be well. But what happens when the lease expires and the machine is returned to the vendor? What happens if you purchase the machine and then later sell it when you need a bigger or better machine? If the information on the drive is not encrypted or erased, your records are vulnerable. They could be downloaded and stolen by use of software available on the Internet.
Most copiers have an option available for encryption or erasure of the data on the hard drive. Utilizing this option is imperative for loss prevention.
At CCS, we keep abreast of situations that could compromise the safety of your confidential information. Call us with your questions. We have the answers! The number is 800-672-4806 or email us.