Some Brother printers have a remote code execution vulnerability, and they can’t fix it

Brother Industries is grappling with a critical authentication bypass vulnerability affecting hundreds of different printer models, many of them used in enterprises, allowing unauthenticated remote code execution (RCE) on the devices when chained with another flaw.

The admin password bypass stems from a manufacturing issue and cannot be fixed through firmware according to Rapid7, the cybersecurity firm that discovered the vulnerability — along with seven others — affecting 689 different device models.

One of those vulnerabilities enables attackers to extract the serial number of a printer, and that’s at the root of Brother’s problems.