Kaspersky reports warehouse barcode scanner vulnerability

Kaspersky has identified a way to access a warehouse computer through a wireless barcode scanner. The company presented its audit findings at the Security Analyst Summit 2026 in Bali.

Researchers attributed the weakness to a lack of authentication between the scanner and its base station. In the configuration examined, an unauthorised device could transmit input that the connected computer treated as user keystrokes.

The company said this access could potentially allow unauthorised commands to run on the workstation. The risk stems from the computer’s connections to the warehouse network and systems handling orders and dispatch.

Sergey Sidorov, Kaspersky’s head of industrial security services, said peripheral devices could become entry points into retail and logistics infrastructure.

In its published statement, the researchers recommended checking devices before network connection, disabling unused Bluetooth interfaces and restricting account permissions.