Break-glass emergency USB printing

How an authorised person can turn on printing from a USB drive at a locked-down Cirros device — safely, briefly, and only when it’s genuinely needed.

Availability. Introduced on Xerox MFDs first; Ricoh and Canon to follow. Your Cirros team will confirm availability for your specific devices.

Your devices stay locked down by default. Break-glass is a controlled exception for emergencies — not an always-on feature. Nothing about your normal, secured setup changes.

What it is

On high-security sites, printing directly from a USB drive at the device is normally switched off. But emergencies happen — a critical document to get out, a network outage, a visitor who has to print something there and then.

Break-glass lets an authorised person enable USB printing at a single device, for a short time, using a one-time code — without ever being given the device’s administrator password, and even if the device is offline. When the emergency is over, the device secures itself again automatically.

How it works

Each code works once. A break-glass code is single-use and tied to one device. Once it’s been used it’s spent — the next emergency needs a fresh code. Codes are issued in a pre-prepared batch and refreshed automatically.

  1. Request a code. An authorised administrator asks the service desk for a break-glass code for that specific device. Only authorised people can obtain one, and it’s recorded who asked and when.
  2. Enter it at the device. A discreet on-screen gesture opens the break-glass screen. They type in the code — no admin password is needed; the code itself is the authorisation.
  3. Confirm what will happen. The device shows exactly what will be enabled (for example “Print from USB”), and whether the device needs to restart, before anything changes.
  4. Print. USB printing is enabled on that one device, and the user prints what they need.
  5. It secures itself again. The device switches USB printing back off automatically — after a set time, the moment it’s back online, or immediately with a Disable now button. Nothing is left open.

Why it’s secure

  • No admin password released. The customer never receives the device’s administrator credentials. The device makes the change itself, internally.
  • One-time, time-boxed codes. Each code works once, for one device, and the exception reverts automatically. Codes are never stored in a readable form on the device.
  • Works offline. The code is checked on the device, so break-glass still works during a network or cloud outage — exactly when it’s most needed.
  • Least privilege. The break-glass screen can only enable or disable USB printing. It is never a route into full device administration.
  • Brute-force protection. Repeated wrong codes lock the screen for a growing delay, so codes can’t be guessed at the panel.
  • Fully audited. Every step — requested, issued, used, reverted — is recorded end to end.

What exactly gets enabled

This is set per device to match your security posture:

  • Print From USB only — the usual setting. The USB port stays exactly as it is; only the “print from USB” function is switched on. No restart.
  • USB port and Print From USB — for the most locked-down devices where the port itself is disabled. Enabling it may need a brief device restart; the device tells the user beforehand so there are no surprises.

How it reverts

Re-securing the device is automatic and configurable — and works whether the device is online or offline:

  • On a timer — auto-disables after a set period (for example 24 hours), with nothing for anyone to remember to do.
  • When back online — the moment the device reconnects, Cirros re-secures it.
  • Manually — a Disable now button on the device, the instant it’s no longer needed.

The audit trail

Every break-glass event is traceable from start to finish:

Requested › Issued › Used › Reverted

Who requested the code and when is recorded in the Cirros Dashboard; the device records when it was used, what was enabled, and when and how it reverted, and reports that back on reconnect. Together they give a complete, tamper-evident record of every emergency.

Supported devices

Break-glass is delivered on Xerox MFDs first, with Ricoh and Canon to follow. The code, the controls, the per-device policy and the audit trail are the same across all of them — only the final on-device step differs by manufacturer. Your Cirros team will confirm which of your devices are covered.

Setting it up

Break-glass is configured per device by Cirros to match how locked-down each site needs to be — which levers it controls and how it reverts. To enable it for your fleet, or to request a code in an emergency, contact your Cirros service desk.

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