Research has found that wireless barcode scanners widely used for inventory checks and shipping operations in logistics warehouses and retail stores can be exploited as an entry point for cyberattacks. By targeting the absence of any separate authentication process between the scanner and its base station, attackers can remotely control the connected computer and even penetrate the warehouse management system (WMS).
Global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky said on the 4th that it had identified a new attack path in some wireless barcode scanner models. While inspecting the digital infrastructure of a logistics warehouse, its researchers found vulnerabilities in specific scanner models made by a major manufacturer, and the results were presented at the Security Analyst Summit (SAS) 2026 held last month in Bali, Indonesia.
The crux of the problem is that there is no authentication mechanism between the wireless scanner and the base station that connects it to a computer. Typically, a wireless scanner sends barcode information to a base station via short-range communication such as Bluetooth, and the base station relays it to the connected PC in the form of keyboard input. An attacker can analyze the Bluetooth communication in this process, obtain the base station’s address, and then send malicious commands disguised as keyboard input. The base station treats them as legitimate input and passes them to the computer, leading to remote code execution in which commands run without the user doing anything.
The researchers stressed that the problem is not limited to a single manufacturer. Similar attack paths were observed on devices from multiple manufacturers, and other logistics equipment such as portable data terminals (PDTs) and thermal printers may be exposed to the same risk. No case of an actual logistics network being breached or deliveries being halted has been confirmed, however.
If an attack succeeds, the damage does not stop at an individual PC. Computers inside warehouses are linked to the systems handling inventory management, order processing, and shipping, so if hackers use them as a foothold to access the internal network, the impact could spread to order-processing delays and shipping disruptions. In warehouse management system environments where core infrastructure is interconnected, the scope of damage could be even greater, observers note.
Kaspersky recommended turning off unused Bluetooth functions and running security verification before connecting new equipment to the network. It also called for strengthening authentication systems between devices, segregating logistics networks from general office networks, applying security updates, and minimizing account access privileges.
Sergey Sidorov, head of Kaspersky’s industrial security services, said, “As digitalization expands in the logistics and distribution industry, a single device can become the entry point for a cyberattack that threatens the entire system,” adding, “Barcode scanners are no exception, so security across the entire operating environment must be strengthened.”
The case poses a security-check challenge for the logistics and distribution industry, which has been increasing investment in automated equipment. Barcode scanners are considered equipment that easily falls outside security management because of their low unit prices and long replacement cycles. Analysts say that the faster warehouse automation and the spread of wireless terminals progress, the more necessary it becomes to overhaul authentication systems to cover even inconspicuous peripheral devices.
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