# Printer total count should be retrievable

Published printers in Active Directory provide visibility into your organization's printing infrastructure.

Source: https://maester.dev/docs/tests/AD-PRINT-01

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<div class="test-byline"><div class="test-byline-avatars"><a class="test-byline-avatar test-byline-avatar--author" href="/contributors/soulemike" title="Michael Soule · Original author"><img src="https://github.com/soulemike.png" alt="Michael Soule" width="28" height="28" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /></a></div><div class="test-byline-meta"><span class="test-byline-text">Contributed by <a href="/contributors/soulemike">Michael Soule</a></span><a class="test-byline-link" href="/contributors">All contributors →</a></div></div>

<p class="test-part">Part of <a href="/docs/tests/ad">Active Directory</a> · Active Directory · Printers · <a href="/docs/tests">All checks</a></p>

```powershell title="Run this check"
Invoke-Maester -TestId AD-PRINT-01
```

## Overview

Published printers in Active Directory provide visibility into your organization's printing infrastructure. While printers themselves may not seem like a security concern, they present several security considerations:

- **Information disclosure**: Printer names and locations may reveal organizational structure
- **Access control**: Published printers may be accessible to unintended users
- **Driver vulnerabilities**: Printer drivers can be a vector for attacks
- **Document security**: Print jobs may contain sensitive information
- **Network exposure**: Printers may be accessible from unauthorized network segments

Understanding your printer publishing configuration helps:
- **Audit exposure**: Identify what printer information is publicly available
- **Access review**: Ensure printers are only accessible to appropriate users
- **Documentation**: Maintain accurate inventory of printing resources
- **Compliance**: Some regulations require tracking of printing infrastructure

#### Control Type

**Operational**

#### Security Recommendation

Secure your printing infrastructure:
- **Minimize publishing**: Only publish printers that need to be discoverable
- **Location data**: Review printer location information for sensitive details
- **Access controls**: Restrict printer access using security groups
- **Secure printing**: Implement pull printing or secure release solutions
- **Regular audits**: Periodically review published printers for unauthorized additions

#### How the Test Works

This test queries Active Directory for printQueue objects to count published printers and provide details about printer publishing in the domain.

#### Related Tests

- `Test-MtAdOuEmptyCount` - Identify empty OUs that may contain legacy printer objects
- `Test-MtAdGroupDistributionCount` - Review groups that may control printer access

## Details

<details>
<summary>Every attribute of this check</summary>

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Test ID | AD-PRINT-01 |
| Severity | Info |
| Suite | Active Directory |
| Product | Active Directory |
| Feature | Printers |
| Area | Infrastructure hardening |
| Resource type | Tenant |
| MITRE ATT&CK | None |
| PowerShell test | [Test-MtAdPrinterTotalCount](https://github.com/maester365/maester/blob/main/tests/ad/printer/Test.AD-PRINT-01.ps1) |
| Services | ActiveDirectory |
| Permissions | ActiveDirectory:Ldap:printQueue:ReadProperty |

</details>

## Source

- Test: [`tests/ad/printer/Test.AD-PRINT-01.ps1`](https://github.com/maester365/maester/blob/main/tests/ad/printer/Test.AD-PRINT-01.ps1)
- Documentation: [`tests/ad/printer/Test.AD-PRINT-01.md`](https://github.com/maester365/maester/blob/main/tests/ad/printer/Test.AD-PRINT-01.md)