Security and USB Ports on Lexmark Devices

Abstract

Virtually every personal computer sold today contains Universal Serial Bus, or USB, ports by which a wide array of devices can be attached. As with most technologies, the nature of USB support involves a measure of security exposure, since most anything that can be used can also be abused — theoretically if not practically.

Many Lexmark laser printers and multifunction printers (MFP) include support for USB devices, and it is appropriate to consider the potential security ramifications of that support. This white paper describes the security considerations related to USB ports on Lexmark devices, and explains the protections that have been put in place to address those security concerns.

Executive Overview

USB ports on personal computers provide a means to connect devices of various types and perform a variety of interactions. However, for security reasons the USB ports on Lexmark devices are far more limited in their capabilities.

The USB host ports on Lexmark’s devices provide the following:
• When a USB mass storage device (such as a thumb drive) is inserted, the printer finds and displays by name the image files and/or flash files that are stored on the device.
• The user can select jobs to print from the displayed jobs. If a flash file is selected, the printer firmware will be updated as long as firmware updates are allowed in the security settings.
• Additionally, a user can scan data directly to the USB thumbdrive if it is available in a supported scan format.