Google cloud printing is most popular. In addition to Google in Taiwan, ibon also provides cloud printing service. Apple Air Print is another technique of Apple and printer manufacturers also launched similar services. However, there are also disadvantages behind these advantages. In this paper, based on the analysis of Google Cloud Print service, the potential risk of cloud printing to management and control of an enterprise is analyzed.
How to use cloud printing
To use Google cloud printing, you must have a group of Google accounts and Chrome Browser. You only need one printer at home and an online printer is preferential and the printer can be used without needing to starting up the computer and connecting the printer. The same effect can be achieved if the Google Driver Service is directly used.
After logging onto Google with a Chrome account at home. Add the printer by chrome「setting」>「advanced」>「print」>「Google Cloud Printing」>「Manage Cloud Printing Devices」. The printer may be any of the preferences 「Store onto Google Cloud HDD」, 「Physical printer at home」and 「Microsoft Print to PDF」.
Threats presented by cloud printing to data security of enterprises and organizations
How to perform operations? After entering the company, open the company’s Chrome and log onto Chrome with the Google account. Then open the enterprise organization file by using the Chrome browser. You can easily bypass “printer management and control” of the enterprise by printing the file with the printer at home or Google cloud HDD. Also there are no relevant trace records and others only know that the user opened relevant files and do not know whether the user transferred out, unloaded and printed the file. In other words, the company’s file can be stored onto Google Cloud HDD and use such HDD in combination with Microsoft Print to PDF by leveraging cloud printing or the enterprise organization file can be directly output as a hardcopy by leveraging the printer at home.
Relevant security countermeasures of enterprises and organizations
Many enterprises and organizations block the connection between their internal computers and Google Cloud Service by means of webpage management and control. This is actually a good protective measure, but Google is not the only company that provides cloud printing services and other small cloud printing companies also provide such services, so all of these companies must be treated as a whole and cloud printing services can be managed and controlled. Moreover, is filtering and blocking of logging with a Google account 100% effective? We noted another complex technical problem. Because cloud printing can be bypassed by applying the IP Based mode, such internal leakage risk cannot be effectively eliminated until the management and control mechanism is DLPed. Taking X-FORT as an example, a combined application of Google cloud HDD blocking, Google account logging, file encryption and managed and controlled printing, screen capturing protection is a more secure and flexible protection method.