CVE-2025-49797
📋 TL;DR
Brother printer driver installers for Windows contain a privilege escalation vulnerability that allows local attackers to execute arbitrary programs with administrative privileges. This affects users who have installed Brother printer drivers on Windows systems. Attackers must already have local access to exploit this vulnerability.
💻 Affected Systems
- Brother printer driver installers
- Various Brother printer models (see vendor advisories for specific models)
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise where an attacker gains SYSTEM/administrator privileges, installs persistent malware, accesses sensitive data, or disables security controls.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation allowing attackers to bypass security restrictions, install additional tools, or maintain persistence on compromised systems.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper access controls, least privilege principles, and application whitelisting are implemented.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access to the system. No public exploit code identified at this time.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Varies by specific Brother printer model - check vendor advisories
Vendor Advisory: https://support.brother.com/g/s/security/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Visit Brother security advisory page. 2. Identify your specific printer model. 3. Download and install the latest driver/software update. 4. Restart the system.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Remove vulnerable drivers
windowsUninstall affected Brother printer drivers if not needed
Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a program > Select Brother drivers > Uninstall
Restrict installer permissions
windowsApply least privilege principles to prevent unauthorized users from running installers
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized program execution
- Enforce least privilege access controls and restrict local administrator rights
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check installed Brother printer drivers in Control Panel > Programs and compare versions against vendor advisoriesCheck Version:
wmic product where "vendor like 'Brother%'" get name, versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify driver version matches patched version from vendor advisory and test privilege escalation attempts📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected privilege escalation events
- Brother installer processes running with elevated privileges
- Windows Event ID 4688 with Brother executables
Network Indicators:
- Not applicable - local privilege escalation
SIEM Query:
source="Windows Security" EventID=4688 AND (ProcessName="*brother*" OR CommandLine="*brother*") AND NewProcessName="*cmd*" OR NewProcessName="*powershell*"