How a 100-Year-Old Printing Giant Continues to Lead in Cybersecurity and Innovation

Over the past century, international printing machinery manufacturers like Komori have had to innovate because of the internet. As a manufacturer, they rely on the distribution chain for the overall success of their companies. These organizations have survived and thrived by adapting to technological advancements. Once their printing technologies became internet-connected, they had to shift how they looked at cyber risks, not only to themselves, but also to their distributors and customers.

The manufacturing distribution chain is critical because it ensures the seamless flow of goods from manufacturers to customers, maintaining operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and profitability. Distributors act as vital intermediaries, managing inventory, logistics, and customer relations. A cyberattack on a distributor can have severe consequences for both the manufacturer and their customers. If a distributor’s systems are compromised, it can disrupt the entire supply chain by halting the flow of products, causing delays that can ripple through the network. Attacks can lead to stock shortages, missed deadlines, and increased costs for manufacturers as they scramble to find alternative distribution solutions. Additionally, sensitive data shared between the manufacturer and distributor, such as pricing, product specifications, and customer information, could be exposed, leading to potential data breaches and loss of trust.

For customers, the impact is immediate and tangible. Delays in receiving products can harm their operations, particularly if they rely on just-in-time inventory systems. In worst-case scenarios, a significant disruption could force customers to seek alternative suppliers, causing long-term damage to the manufacturer’s relationships and market position.

Mission:

Since its founding in 1923, Komori Corporation has built a global reputation on the principle of “kando” exceeding customer expectations. This focus on the customer has led Komori to become a world leader in designing and manufacturing award-winning, reliable technology that produces outstanding print quality. With decades of technical expertise in sheetfed and webfed offset presses, as well as currency and securities presses, Komori has continued to focus on just one thing—print. They continually invest in R&D by evaluating industry trends and, most importantly, by listening to their customers—our greatest resource for product development.

• Year Founded: Komori Corporation started in Tokyo in 1923; Komori America Corporation was established in 1983 and headquartered in Chicago, IL.
• Number of Employees: 2,562

Pre-Internet

In an interview with Andy Katz, Director of IT at Komori America Corporation, he shares that

“In the mid-’90s, Komori systems were PC based, and that’s when [he] started becoming more aware of vulnerabilities…but nothing was connected to the Internet and someone would need to physically break into the plant to plug into the system.”

However, Andy mentions that these were the “pre-laptop days, and no one was walking around with a desktop to jack into your network.” Before systems started to become internet-connected, security teams were smaller and localized. Additionally, smaller organizations were of the mindset that “why would a hacker bother us, we are so small, and security only matters to big companies.” As cyberattacks were less prevalent, security was often an afterthought and, culturally, was lagging.

Enter NodeZero

Andy understands the value of knowing where his “blind spots” are and the importance of “internal security assessments.” Before adopting NodeZero into his environment, Andy told us he wanted to start implementing security assessments and internal security reviews. But “[Komori America] had an incident about three years ago, prior to executing [his] plan to hire a pentester and test their network.” A possible phishing incident spurred Andy to hire an incident response company to help harden their network and build in multiple layers of defense. However, he highlights that “social engineering led to the phishing of credentials that allowed the attacker to more freely within [their] environment.”

After implementing numerous layers of security and running a pentest, Andy still wanted to test his environment more often, but he wanted to avoid paying enormous amounts to do so. He reached out to his incident response provider, who mentioned that he didn’t need to do a one-and-done test, explaining that there is an automated way to conduct periodic security assessments. The provider told Andy about Horizon3.ai. He scheduled a proof-of-concept, enabling NodeZero to test his environment autonomously to find, fix, and verify vulnerabilities continuously.

“You think you have 18 layers of security in place, but this needs to be tested, hence why I wanted to start pentesting periodically, and found out about NodeZero.”

Keeping the Komori Legacy Secure

Right away, Andy was impressed with how easy NodeZero was to “queue up and run,” as well as “the breadth of it,” basically doing everything the pentester did in much less time. Further, he was impressed with his first pentest: “We had a ton of Server Message Block (SMB) vulnerabilities [open SMB and unassigned SMB], and we also found some internal credentials right away…and we now have a program [NodeZero] to start finding and shutting these things [vulnerabilities] down.” NodeZero also allows our customers to compare pentest results so they can verify fix actions and ensure they “closed those holes,” as Andy puts it. Like how Komori embodies “kando,” NodeZero also exceeds our customer expectations, going above and beyond to ensure all vulnerable aspects of an environment are discovered and illuminated.

“Standing confirmation that we are secure, this [NodeZero] filled a huge gap…the environment changes all the time, so you’re only as good as your last assessment.”

In conclusion 

Over the past century, printing manufacturers like Komori have adapted to rapid technological changes, especially with the advent of internet-connected devices. While the manufacturing distribution chain plays a critical role in ensuring operational efficiency and customer satisfaction, these advancements have also introduced substantial cybersecurity risks. Cyberattacks on distributors can disrupt supply chains, exposing sensitive data and causing operational delays. To combat these threats, it’s crucial for companies to regularly assess vulnerabilities, adopt proactive cybersecurity measures, and continuously test their networks to ensure business continuity and protect their legacy. 

By using NodeZero to help illuminate and fix vulnerabilities, Komori can preemptively prevent disruptions, protect intellectual property, and ensure the trust of their customers and partners, which is crucial in a digitally driven business environment. 

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