HP Enterprise printers are designed to protect, detect, and recover from attacks using several embedded security layers that work together during startup and at runtime:

• HP Sure Start (BIOS protection)
  The printer checks the integrity of its BIOS at every boot. The BIOS is treated as the Root of Trust. HP stores a protected “Golden Copy” of the BIOS in hardware. If the live BIOS is compromised, the device automatically reverts to this Golden Copy and reboots—no IT intervention needed. This helps defend against BIOS rootkits such as LoJax.
• Whitelisting (firmware validation)
  After the BIOS check, the printer verifies that only HP-authentic, digitally signed firmware is loaded. Instead of relying on a blacklist of known malware (which can take about four days or more to update after a new virus appears), the device only allows known-good, signed code to run.
• HP Memory Shield with Runtime Intrusion Detection and Control Flow Integrity
  At runtime, HP Memory Shield monitors memory for behavioral anomalies and unexpected control flows. Because this is built into hardware, it’s harder for attackers to bypass than firmware-only solutions. It does not rely on malware signatures, so it can help protect against both current and future, unknown attacks.
• HP Connection Inspector (network protection)
  The printer evaluates outgoing network connections, looking for suspicious patterns that might indicate malware trying to “call home,” steal data, or move laterally. If it detects something unusual, it can block the connection and trigger a self-healing reboot.

These capabilities align with NIST SP 800-193 guidelines for device cyber resiliency and are available on HP Managed and Enterprise devices with HP FutureSmart firmware 4.5 or above.

The BIOS is the first code that runs when a printer starts up. It initializes the hardware and establishes the Root of Trust for everything that follows. If attackers compromise the BIOS, they can hide malware that other security layers may never see.

HP Sure Start is designed to secure this critical layer on HP Enterprise printers:

• Integrity validation at boot – Each time the device powers on, HP Sure Start checks the BIOS against a cryptographically signed hash to confirm it hasn’t been altered.
• Golden Copy self-healing – A protected Golden Copy of the BIOS is stored in hardware and isolated from normal runtime access. If the active BIOS is corrupted or tampered with, the printer automatically replaces it with the Golden Copy and reboots.
• Protection against BIOS rootkits – By validating and, if needed, restoring the BIOS at every startup, HP Sure Start helps protect against rootkits that try to load during boot and control everything that runs afterward.

For your print environment, this means the device can self-heal from BIOS-level attacks without manual IT intervention, reducing risk and potential downtime.

HP provides tools and firmware capabilities to help you manage printer security across many devices:

• HP Security Manager (policy enforcement)
  After every reboot, HP Security Manager can automatically assess and remediate device security settings so they comply with your predefined company policies. If a setting is changed or affected by an attack, it can be reset to the approved configuration. Note that HP Security Manager is purchased separately.
• Integration with SIEM tools
  Security events from HP Enterprise printers can be forwarded to your existing SIEM platforms, including ArcSight, McAfee, Splunk, IBM QRadar, and SIEMonster. This lets your security team monitor printer events alongside other infrastructure logs.
• FutureSmart firmware for long-term value
  HP FutureSmart firmware helps protect your investment by allowing you to add new security features to many existing HP Enterprise printer models over time. Some advanced features require FutureSmart 4.5 or above, and certain capabilities (like HP Memory Shield) require FS 5.4 or later and specific device families (for example, HP Color/Mono LaserJet Enterprise M400 and LaserJet E40000 series).

Together, these capabilities help you reimagine printers as managed, monitored endpoints in your broader security architecture, rather than unmanaged peripherals.