Xerox has a new key to security for your data and business.  We reviewed the new ConnectKey in an overview article last week.  Today we are going to the explore the security features in more detail.  The new Xerox ConnectKey offers security similar to that for a PC but this security is for your multifunction printer.  This security will help to keep viruses and malware from attacking your multifunction printers.  ConnectKey also controls access to end points on the network making the multifunction printer a fully secured network citizen. 

So how does this work? Well, Xerox, through ConnectKey is the first company to offer McAfee whitelisting technology for multifunction printers.  This insures that only approved and predefined applications, files and code will run on your Xerox multifunction printers.  The multifunction printers will also detect and prevent unauthorized access and send you alerts.  To learn more about how the partnership between Xerox and McAfee works to protect you check out the webpage.

The ConnectKey multifunction printers also include the Cisco TrustSec^®.  Cisco TrustSec^®  is an intelligent access control solution.  With minimal effort Cisco TrustSec^® mitigates security risks by providing comprehensive visibility into who and what devices are connecting across your network.  It also offer control over where those with proper permission can go and what they can access.   

There are also several standard security features that begin working to secure your data as soon as you power on the ConnectKey multifunction printer.  These features include 256 bit HD encryption with overwrite, secure print with timeout deletion and secure external email connectivity that encrypts data transfer.  Check out this short video to find out more about some of these security features. 

As always you can find out more by visiting the ConnectKey site .  As always there are support pages available for many of the features of ConnectKey. You can also find more information about security at the Xerox Security site.  With ConnectKey you can continue to safeguard your data against the “Curious Kelly” and anyone else that would try access your information.

Do you like having things on demand?  It seems like there are a lot of things we can have on demand these days, videos, TV shows, music, and even hot water, just to name a few.  One of the most important On Demand options might be right on your multifunction printer; it is called On Demand Image Overwrite.  On Demand Image Overwrite is a security measure for those who are concerned about unauthorized access and / or duplication of classified or private originals. The On Demand Image Overwrite feature provides a System Administrator the opportunity to erase all residual image data from the memory of the multifunction printer by initiating the process as required.

There is also a feature available known as Immediate Image Overwrite that can be programmed to perform an image overwrite immediately after each job has been completed.  The Image Overwrite Security Kit may be required in order to enable the Immediate Image Overwrite function.  Once enabled, the Immediate Image Overwrite becomes immediately available and does not require configuration by the System Administrator.  Another option is a Scheduled Image Overwrite which is available on some machines and allows the system administrator to set the printer to overwrite at a specific day and time.

So how does the image overwrite work?  Well, once the job is completed all the physical areas of the hard disk holding job data are overwritten or electronically shredded using a three pass algorithm originally specified by the U.S. Department of Defense.  Basically the data is overwritten by alphanumeric patterns.    

To find out if your machine has one or all of these image overwrite capabilities please refer to the Xerox Product Security – Data Protection data.  In this document you will find a table, just look for your machine and the document will detail the security and overwrite features on your machine.  Additional information about security and the overwrite features is available on the Xerox Security webpage .   

Please note that machines without a hard drive will not have the overwrite features.  Also remember that most Xerox copiers and multifunction printers that have hard disks include a disk encryption feature which encrypts all stored image data with the state-of-the art AES encryption algorithm.

Instructions for enabling the Image Overwrite can be found in the support pages for your machine.  Simply search on “overwrite” or “security” to find the steps for enabling and using the different Image Overwrite features.   Below is a video from the WorkCentre 7600 family showing How to Perform an On Demand Image Overwrite.  Machines vary so your screen might display differently but the video will give you an idea of how the feature works. 

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Information Security is an ongoing and ever evolving process.  It is important to keep up with news of threats and understand what you need to know and watch for when it comes to securing your data.  We have many resources  to help you meet your security goals.  We know that the security of your information is important to you and it is important to Xerox.  We will provide you with all the tools we can to safeguard your information but it is up to you and / or your IT staff to utilize these tools.  Please subscribe to or check our Security webpage periodically to keep updated on any new security information. Information is posted as required and will be product specific or generic depending on the issue. 

A new security video has  been produced and posted recently to offer you more information about security.  Please take the time to watch this video. 

Remember knowledge is power when it comes to security.  So another resource to review is the Xerox Product Security Frequently Asked Questions page.    Please review all these resources to stay up to date with security features, updates, upgrades and tips.

Our goal is to keep your information secure.  Online Support also has  information about security.  You can search on “security” to find out what you need to do or what you can do to protect your information.   Please look over the information provided and contact Xerox with any issues, questions or concerns.   In this digital data age security is everyone’s responsibility, do your part to secure your important data.

The Super Hero that is Secure Print is: Easier than a cryptogram, More powerful than a snooping co-worker, Able to secure data in a single, simple process, It’s a trick!?  It’s an illusion!? No! It’s Secure Print!

Secure Print works by allowing you to assign a password / PIN (Personal Identification Number) to the document when you send it to the printer.  The document will not print till you walk up to the printer and release the document to print using the password / PIN you assigned.  The secure print feature is activated in the driver when you send the job to print.  I have included a sample driver screenshot here but as always models and drivers differ so your screen may look different.  To get more information please go to the support page and enter your model number and then search on “Secure Print”  to see if the feature is available and if so, how to use the feature. 

This is a great feature to use for any document that has sensitive information, for example documents containing credit card numbers, social security numbers, confidential work product, medical information or simply your weight.   It will also keep the office snoop (you know every office has one!) from reading your documents.  Short of Invisible ink, which we do not have for our printers (note to R&D!) this is a great way to safeguard your document.  The feature will also keep your document from walking away in the hands of someone else because you will be there when it prints.  You can also send several documents to the printer and they will not print till you are at the printer to release them.   Below  is a video about Secure Print.  The video shows a WorkCentre 7525/7530/7535/7545/7556 but the principles are the same for other products that have the Secure Print feature.  Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Viddler video. Check out this great feature now! 

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‘Tis the season to be careful and secure, unfortunately this is the time of year that more people than usual will try to scam you, steal your identity, steal your holiday gifts, etc.  So be careful, be vigilant, and be aware of your surroundings.  Security is important for your Xerox printers and multifunction devices all year around.  Xerox is concerned with your systems security.  We have a site devoted to keeping you up-to-date on the security of your machine.  On our security site you will find news, videos, information, and patches, when required. We can provide the information but it is your responsibility to make sure you take the measures required to keep your machines secure.

We suggest that you bookmark our Security site and make it a practice to check the site frequently to see if there is any new information about security for any Xerox product you may have.  We are constantly reviewing and testing the security of our machines and we will try to inform you in the timeliest manner possible through the security site.  Information about how to use the security features on your machine is available on the support page for your machine.  As always if you have questions about security you can contact us at support.  So please check the security site often and be as proactive in your Xerox printer and multifunction device security as you are with the security of your wallet.

Do you like having things on demand?  It seems like there are a lot of things we can have on demand these days, videos, TV shows, music, and even hot water, just to name a few.  One of the most important On Demand options might be right on your Multifunction Printer; it is called On Demand Image Overwrite.  On Demand Image Overwrite is a security measure for those who are concerned about unauthorized access and / or duplication of classified or private originals. The On Demand Image Overwrite feature provides a System Administrator the opportunity to erase all residual image data from the memory of the Multifunction Printer by initiating the process as required.

There is also a feature available known as Immediate Image Overwrite that can be programmed to perform an image overwrite immediately after each job has been completed.  The Image Overwrite Security Kit may be required in order to enable the Immediate Image Overwrite function.  Once enabled, the Immediate Image Overwrite becomes immediately available and does not require configuration by the System Administrator.  Another option is a Scheduled Image Overwrite which is available on some machines and allows the system administrator to set the printer to overwrite at a specific day and time.

So how does the image overwrite work?  Well, once the job is completed all the physical areas of the hard disk holding job data are overwritten or electronically shredded using a three pass algorithm originally specified by the U.S. Department of Defense.  Basically the data is overwritten by alphanumeric patterns.    

To find out if your machine has one or all of these image overwrite capabilities please refer to the Xerox Product Security – Data Protection document.  In this document you will find a table, just look for your machine and the document will detail the security and overwrite features on your machine.  Additional information about security and the overwrite features is available on the Xerox Security webpage.   

Please note that machines without a hard drive will not have the overwrite features.  Also remember that most Xerox copiers and multifunction printers that have hard disks include a disk encryption feature which encrypts all stored image data with the state-of-the art AES encryption algorithm. We explored the disk encryption in the blog article Is Your Data as Secure as it Could Be? 

Instructions for enabling the Image Overwrite can be found in the support pages for your machine.  Simply search on “overwrite” or “security” to find the steps for enabling and using the different Image Overwrite features.   Below is a screen from one of the multifunction printers showing where you might be able to find this security feature.  Machines vary so your screen might display differently.

We live in a world where information security has become a priority and a necessity.  These days there are hackers, schemers, scammers and phisers.  So Xerox has security on the brain, we are constantly updating security information and reminding you about security for your products.  We include many security features in our printers and multifunction devices and have created a new security information document to remind you of the security features and provide you information on where to get further information and assistance on all things security.  Security is important especially at this time of year with tax forms and sensitive information being printed, scanned and / or faxed at an accelerated rate as the tax deadline approaches.  But security is a daily issue and you should use all the options available to you on your printers and multifunction devices to secure your data every day.   Let’s look at a couple of these security features. 

Image Overwrite is a feature offered on Xerox copiers, printers and multifunction products that have a disk drive or other non-volatile storage.  There are 3 types of Image Overwrite that may be available on your machine. 

• On Demand Image Overwrite – Executed as needed to remove all image data from the disk or other non-volatile storage.
• Immediate Image Overwrite – Automatically executed immediately after jobs are completed to remove image data from the disk or other non-volatile storage.
• Scheduled Image Overwrite – Automatic, daily overwrite of all image data from the disk or other non-volatile storage including any pending jobs.

Data Encryption is the second security feature available on many Xerox printers and multifunction products.   Most copiers and multifunction devices that have hard disks include a disk encryption feature which encrypts all stored image data with the state-of-the art AES encryption algorithm.

So what is an AES encryption?  In January of 1997, a process was initiated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a unit of the U.S. Commerce Department, to find a robust encryption standard. The specification called for a symmetric algorithm, meaning the same key would be used for encryption and decryption, using block encryption of 128 bits in size, but supporting key sizes of 128, 192 and 256 bits, at a minimum. The algorithm was required to be royalty-free for use worldwide and offer security of a sufficient level to protect data for the next 20 to 30 years. It needed to be easy to implement in hardware and software, as well as in restricted environments and offer good defenses against various attack techniques.  What they came up with was the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) a small, fast, hard to crack encryption standard that is suitable for a wide range of devices or applications. It is considered the best compromise between a combination of security, performance, efficiency, ease of implementation and flexibility.  The 128 bit AES offers a total of 3.4 x 10^38 individual keys. It is estimated that if a key generator were able to discover 1 key per second, it would take 149 thousand-billion (149 trillion) years to crack a single 128 bit AES key.  So it seems unlikely your AES encryption key could be cracked in your lifetime. 

To learn more about security and your machine please visit the Security site at Xerox.com and review the Xerox Product Security Document for more information on what security options are available on your machines.  As always you can also consult the support page for your machine to search for more information and steps for enabling or scheduling some of the security features.  Don’t forget to use Secure Print when applicable, secure print is another security feature available to you that we wrote about earlier this year.   Remember that your data security depends on you.