CVE-2025-53869VulnerabilityPublished 29 Jan 2026

CVE-2025-53869: Brother Industries Multiple MFPs · Improper certificate validation

Affects Brother Industries Multiple MFPsSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 3.7 Low.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

3.7Low

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

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 4% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

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

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

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: High: A successful attack depends on conditions beyond the attacker's control. That is, a successful attack cannot be accomplished at will, but requires the attacker to invest in some measurable amount of effort in preparation or execution against the vulnerable component before a successful attack can be expected. For example, a successful attack may require an attacker to: gather knowledge about the environment in which the vulnerable target/component exists; prepare the target environment to improve exploit reliability; or inject themselves into the logical network path between the target and the resource requested by the victim in order to read and/or modify network communications (e.g., a man in the middle attack).
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
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: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 29 Jan 2026
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 2026-10-26.

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

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Brother Industries, Ltd.Multiple MFPs	Affected =see the information provided by the vendor	Fixed in–
Konica Minolta, Inc.Multiple MFPs	Affected =see the information provided by the vendor	Fixed in–
Ricoh Company, Ltd.Multiple MFPs	Affected =see the information provided by the vendor	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

1. Monitor Brother Industries’ official security advisories and apply firmware updates or patches promptly once released to address CVE-2025-53869. 2. Restrict network access to MFP management interfaces and services using network segmentation, firewalls, and access control lists to limit exposure to potential attackers. 3. Implement network-level protections such as TLS inspection and anomaly detection to identify suspicious certificate changes or MitM attempts. 4. Use strong network authentication and encryption protocols for all communications involving MFPs. 5. Regularly audit and verify the root certificate stores on MFP devices to detect unauthorized modifications. 6. Educate IT staff on the risks of certificate validation flaws and ensure secure configuration of all networked printers and scanners. 7. Consider deploying endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions that can monitor unusual device behavior related to certificate stores. 8. Maintain an inventory of all Brother MFP devices in use and their firmware versions to prioritize patching and risk assessment.

Description

CVE-2025-53869 is a vulnerability in multiple Brother Industries MFP devices where improper server certificate validation allows a man-in-the-middle attacker to replace the device's root certificate store with arbitrary certificates. This flaw does not impact confidentiality or availability directly but can lead to integrity issues by enabling attackers to intercept or manipulate communications. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 3.7 (low severity) due to the high attack complexity and lack of authentication or user interaction requirements. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild. European organizations using affected Brother MFPs should be aware of this risk, especially those in sectors with sensitive document handling. Mitigation involves applying vendor patches once available and restricting network access to MFP management interfaces. Countries with high Brother MFP market penetration and strong reliance on secure document workflows, such as Germany, France, and the UK, are most likely to be impacted.

Impact

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-53869 is the potential compromise of the integrity of communications involving Brother MFP devices. Since these devices are often integrated into enterprise networks for scanning, printing, and document management, an attacker exploiting this vulnerability could intercept or manipulate data transmitted to or from the MFPs. Although confidentiality and availability are not directly affected, the ability to replace trusted root certificates could facilitate further attacks such as credential theft or injection of malicious content in document workflows. Sectors such as government, finance, healthcare, and legal services, which rely heavily on secure document handling, may face increased risk. Additionally, the vulnerability could undermine compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR if sensitive information is exposed or altered. The low CVSS score suggests exploitation is complex and less likely, but the potential for stealthy MitM attacks in internal networks remains a concern.

Summary

CVE-2025-53869 identifies a security vulnerability in multiple multifunction printers (MFPs) manufactured by Brother Industries, Ltd. The core issue lies in improper validation of server certificates by these devices. Specifically, the MFPs fail to correctly verify the authenticity of server certificates during secure communications, which can be exploited by a man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacker. By leveraging this flaw, an attacker positioned on the network path can replace the device’s trusted root certificate store with a set of arbitrary certificates under their control. This manipulation undermines the device’s trust model, potentially allowing interception or alteration of encrypted communications between the MFP and other network services. The vulnerability does not directly compromise confidentiality or availability but impacts integrity by enabling unauthorized certificate replacement. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 3.7, reflecting a low severity rating primarily due to the high attack complexity (AC:H), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and no impact on confidentiality or availability. The scope remains unchanged (S:U). No known exploits have been reported in the wild, and affected versions are to be confirmed via vendor advisories. This vulnerability highlights the importance of robust certificate validation in embedded network devices, especially those handling sensitive documents and communications.

References

Community reviews

Loading reviews…

Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 5 Feb 2026, 08:50 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews

Related threats