Copy machines, Maybe you didnt know this....

Soldato
Joined
11 Oct 2005
Posts
5,722
Location
Derbyshire
here is something that i never thought of until now
got this in an email by the way makes one think thats for sure

This is a MUST for those that use a copy machine or office copier.
And before you think "yeah, well, I never use a copier, not even at the office", think of all those who have your papers that do. Accountants, Lawyers, health professionals...the list goes on.

Watch it to the end for the scariest bit. Identity theft, anyone?

 
Fault lies with the IT dept. really. They need to know what they are letting out the door with every peice of hardware.

As for the small lawyers' firm, If you work with peoples data like this, you need to obey the law with regards to the data protection act, not knowing that the copier stores that data could be seen as baing negligent, which is breaking the law.
 
Interesting, I suppose the most surprising thing is that (some) businesses don't take the precautions necessary to wipe the machines before selling them on/sending them back to the lease company.
 
Interesting, I suppose the most surprising thing is that (some) businesses don't take the precautions necessary to wipe the machines before selling them on/sending them back to the lease company.

Maybe a lot of companies are not aware of the issue. In the forces we have coppiers that are cleared for use to higher classifications depending on how they record (or not) the images.
 
Many places scan stuff now and shred originals
So less paper trial, more electronic data


- and its american scare mongering of course, some fool sees a niche market and sets himself up as the expert to save the world from the threat of copy machine security fraud
 
Never though this was the case, but whoever leases or buys this sort of copiers should be warned that a copy of everything scanned is kept on a hdd.
 
That’s a new one for me. I would have thought that it wouldn’t be too difficult to program secure delete functionality for them. Watch all the manufactures now offer an expensive “security” option for their big copiers.
 
Last edited:
Maybe a lot of companies are not aware of the issue. In the forces we have coppiers that are cleared for use to higher classifications depending on how they record (or not) the images.

It's quite possible that a lot of companies aren't aware of the issue, maybe surprising was the wrong word - worrying that companies (or their technical staff who should know) aren't aware of the potential problems might be closer to my feelings. Although where organisations like the Buffalo PD are apparently simply leaving documents on the copiers then I can see how even marginally more technical areas are left unthought of.
 
I was just surprised they even had a hard drive in them. Never knew they did.

Me too, worst thing is pretty much everyone will have had something scanned in the past so who knows what companies actually wipe the HD on these things.
 
I imagine loads of people and companies forget to wipe the data in general. Wiping data should be done on all desktop machines anyway when you chuck them out so adding 1 more device to the list is hardly the end of the world.

Wouldn't be a bad idea to make it easier to do though or at least make people aware they have HDDs in them.
 
Jesus, I thought I was pretty well informed about technology but I did not know that copiers had hard drives. I guess it makes sense but I don't see why images are stored long term.
 
a copy of everything scanned is kept on a hdd

hrmm oh dear... so all copies are permanently stored.... wholesale breaches of copyright and data protection legislation surely.....
 
I don't see why it needs an HDD :/

Allot of businesses use them to keep track of everything that is copied so they can check if people are making duplicates of documents they shouldn't be.

It's not so much an issue with the technology, it's an issue with peoples knowledge and understanding of that technology and how it can effect both themselves, their businesses and other people.
 
Back
Top Bottom