Office Jet Pro 9135 internal firewall - should I activate it?

[EthanW6258]

I recently purchased an OfficeJet Pro 9135e and am not activating HP+.  Printing and scanning works perfectly from my MacOS, Windows and iOS devices.  Currently the internal printer firewall is off.  My network (including many other IOT devices without their own firewalls) is  protected by my Eero router's firewall including no uPNP, no port forwarding and screening of all URL's any device seeks to contact via Eero plus.  I therefore see no advantage to turning the printer firewall on, as it seems redundant.  I've read posts on this board about users enabling their firewalls and resulting connectivity issues with their printers and worse still, inability to turn the firewall off once it was on.   I have no need or desire to print documents from outside my home. There is currently no printer functionality I want that is not working and things seem secure.  My attitude is "if it ain't broke don't fix it".  Am I missing something in this assessment?  

[Irfan_06 · Accepted solution]

Hi @EthanW6258,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to assist you.

Your assessment appears well-reasoned, and given your network setup and usage, keeping the internal firewall of your OfficeJet Pro 9135e disabled is likely a safe and practical decision. Here's a detailed evaluation of your situation:

Reasons You May Not Need the Printer Firewall:

Router-Level Protection: Your Eero router's robust firewall, which includes blocking uPNP, port forwarding, and URL screening, already provides strong protection for all devices on your network, including the printer.

No External Printing Needs: Since you have no intention of printing from outside your home network, you don’t need to worry about exposing the printer to external threats via port-forwarding or similar methods.

Known Firewall Issues: As you've noted, enabling the printer’s internal firewall can sometimes cause connectivity issues and may be difficult to disable later. Avoiding this feature prevents unnecessary complications in your setup.

No Additional Security Risks: Modern printers like the OfficeJet Pro 9135e are designed with secure network protocols, and your usage does not introduce any obvious vulnerabilities.

Scenarios Where Enabling the Printer Firewall Might Be Beneficial:

Highly Sensitive Network Environments: If you were using the printer in an environment where additional security is critical (e.g., handling highly sensitive documents), an internal firewall might provide a small extra layer of protection.

Isolating Specific Devices: If your printer had to share a network with devices that could potentially pose a security risk, the internal firewall could help mitigate direct threats.

Best Practices for Your Situation:

Regular Firmware Updates: Continue to ensure your printer firmware is up-to-date to patch any potential vulnerabilities.

Secure Wi-Fi Access: Maintain strong passwords and encryption (WPA3, if available) on your network.

Periodic Monitoring: Occasionally review your Eero Plus logs for unusual activity related to the printer or other devices.

Disable Unused Features: If your printer has features like remote printing or web services that you don’t use, disabling them can further reduce its attack surface.

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day

Irwin6

HP Support

[EthanW6258]

Thank you for this thorough and helpful response.  Will accepting software updates, even without HP+, eliminate the ability to use third party print cartridges?  This is not a big issue for me as nobody seems to make them for this printer anyway, but I just want to be sure what I am and am not doing with the updates.

[Irfan_06]

Hi @EthanW6258,

If you have any updates in the future which is related to the printer firmware. Please go ahead and install it as firmware updates are released to fix or enhance the printer functionality.

Take care and have a good day

Irwin6

HP Support