Nanyang students develop security app to help combat emerging cyber threat.
Students at Nanyang Polytechnic have developed a security app to be used with HP Inc networked printers, which was released on all next-generation A3 MFPs launched in Southeast Asia from the start of June. The app was developed over six months, in conjunction with Splunk, the security intelligence company. Customers using the Splunk Enterprise service will be able to use the app in order to pull all data from networks, networked printers, web servers and other devices onto one dashboard.
Printer security is the latest frontier for cyber attackers. Attacks on printers have steadily increased since 2015, with awareness still low: According to IDC research, 95% of Splunk Enterprise users in Southeast Asia have not yet secured their printer networks. The new app allows users to check data flowing through the printer network for intrusions, as well as flagging suspicious data for quick action, according to HP’s Managing Director for Southeast Asia, Koh Kong Meng.
Splunk’s Asia Head of Marketing, Wilson Chin, said the ability to detect intrusions in real time by looking at just one dashboard was vital for an efficient response. He explained: “We can correlate security data with other data, examining network traffic and other databases like HR systems to detect potential illegal intrusions. From detection, we get better intelligence for faster action.”
The app can be downloaded from Splunkbase, Splunk’s own app store. Splunk users are also able to download it free of charge for use with any Hewlett-Packard MFP from the 2014 Enterprise-class onwards.