CVE-2025-49797 is a high-severity privilege escalation vulnerability affecting multiple Brother Industries, Ltd. driver installers for Windows. The vulnerability arises because certain files or directories used by these installers are accessible to external parties, allowing an attacker with limited privileges to execute arbitrary code with administrative rights. Specifically, the flaw enables an attacker who already has some level of access (local access with limited privileges) to escalate their privileges to full administrative control without requiring user interaction. The vulnerability is characterized by a low attack complexity and requires only limited privileges to exploit, but no user interaction is needed. The scope of the impact is unchanged, meaning the vulnerability affects only the privileges of the local system where the driver installer is run. Exploiting this vulnerability could lead to complete compromise of the affected Windows system, including full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts. While the exact affected product versions and models are not detailed here, the vulnerability impacts multiple Brother driver installers, which are commonly used for printers, scanners, and multifunction devices. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the high CVSS score of 7.8 indicates a significant risk if exploited. The vulnerability was published on June 25, 2025, and is tracked under CVE-2025-49797. Given the nature of driver installers and their frequent use in enterprise and office environments, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk to organizations using Brother hardware on Windows platforms.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-49797 could be severe. Brother printers and multifunction devices are widely used across various sectors including government, healthcare, finance, and manufacturing. Exploitation of this vulnerability could allow attackers to gain administrative control over affected Windows machines, potentially leading to data breaches, disruption of business operations, installation of persistent malware, or lateral movement within corporate networks. The ability to escalate privileges without user interaction increases the risk of automated or stealthy attacks. In environments with sensitive or regulated data, such as GDPR-protected personal information, this vulnerability could result in significant compliance violations and financial penalties. Additionally, compromised systems could be used as footholds for further attacks on critical infrastructure or intellectual property theft. The lack of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk, but the vulnerability’s characteristics make it a likely target for attackers once exploit code becomes available.

1. Immediate application of patches or updated driver installers from Brother Industries as soon as they are released is critical. Organizations should monitor official Brother security advisories and CVE databases for updates. 2. Until patches are available, restrict access to systems that use Brother driver installers to trusted administrators only, minimizing exposure to unprivileged users who could exploit the vulnerability. 3. Implement strict application whitelisting and endpoint protection solutions that can detect and block unauthorized privilege escalation attempts or suspicious installer behavior. 4. Conduct regular audits of installed drivers and software versions on Windows endpoints to identify and remediate vulnerable Brother driver installers. 5. Employ network segmentation to limit the ability of an attacker who gains administrative access on one machine from moving laterally across the network. 6. Use Windows security features such as User Account Control (UAC) and enable enhanced logging to detect unusual privilege escalation activities. 7. Educate IT staff and users about the risks associated with installing or running unsigned or unverified driver installers, and enforce policies that require use of only vendor-verified drivers.