CVE-2025-49797VulnerabilityPublished 25 Jun 2025Updated 19 Aug 2025

CVE-2025-49797: BROTHER INDUSTRIES Multiple driver installers for Windows · Exposed Files or Directories

Affects BROTHER INDUSTRIES Multiple driver installers for WindowsSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.0 base score

7.8High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 7% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 Jun 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

Organizations should immediately inventory their Windows systems to identify installations of Brother driver software and verify the versions in use against vendor advisories. Until patches are released, applying the principle of least privilege is critical: restrict user permissions to prevent local users from executing unauthorized installers or accessing sensitive driver installation directories. Employ application whitelisting to block unauthorized executables and monitor for unusual process executions related to Brother drivers. Network segmentation can limit lateral movement if a system is compromised. Additionally, implement endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect anomalous behavior indicative of privilege escalation attempts. Regularly review and apply Windows security updates and ensure that all Brother driver software is updated promptly once patches become available. Educate users about the risks of running untrusted installers and enforce strong authentication mechanisms to reduce the risk of initial access by attackers.

Description

Multiple Brother driver installers for Windows contain a privilege escalation vulnerability. If exploited, an arbitrary program may be executed with the administrative privilege. As for the details of affected product names, model numbers, and versions, refer to the information provided by the respective vendors listed under [References].

Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk, especially for enterprises and public sector entities that deploy Brother printers and multifunction devices widely across their networks. Successful exploitation could lead to full system compromise on affected Windows machines, enabling attackers to bypass security controls, install backdoors, or disrupt operations. Confidentiality is at risk as attackers could access sensitive documents or credentials stored on compromised systems. Integrity and availability are also threatened, as attackers could alter system files or disrupt printing services critical to business workflows. Given the administrative privileges gained, attackers could move laterally within corporate networks, escalating the threat to organizational infrastructure. This is particularly concerning for sectors with stringent data protection requirements under GDPR, where unauthorized access or data breaches can lead to severe regulatory penalties. The vulnerability's local attack vector means that initial access is required, but this could be achieved via phishing, compromised user accounts, or insider threats, making it a realistic concern for European organizations with diverse user bases.

References

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