Islamabad (GNP): Researchers at Kaspersky have identified a new route for cyberattacks that runs through a popular model of barcode scanner and could put e-commerce supply chains at risk. Global e-commerce sales have almost doubled since 2019 to more than $6 trillion, so any interruption or delay along the delivery chain can bring heavy financial and reputational damage.
Kaspersky Security Services studied several ways of attacking warehouse infrastructure, including through different devices used in warehouse systems. In the course of this work they found a new attack vector that exploits a vulnerability in a barcode scanner model from a major manufacturer.
In a typical arrangement, handheld scanners talk to a base station, which is connected to a workstation or another business system. The central weakness is that the base station and the scanners do not authenticate each other. According to Kaspersky, the scanners could therefore act as an entry point into a warehouse’s operational technology (OT) network, with the attack carried out over the scanner’s wireless link.
In the scenario Kaspersky describes, a worker is going about normal tasks with a wireless scanner paired to a base station. An attacker obtains the base station’s Bluetooth address, for instance by passively eavesdropping on Bluetooth traffic.
Using the existing Bluetooth connection, the attacker then sends a malicious payload to the base station that imitates keyboard keystrokes. The base station passes these on to the connected PC, which treats them as genuine user input, and they could be used to run unauthorised commands. The researchers observed this pattern on devices from several vendors.
The result would be that the attacker gains an initial foothold on a computer inside the warehouse network. Kaspersky believes similar scenarios could apply to other warehouse equipment, such as Portable Data Terminals or thermal printers, and could lead to access to infrastructure like Warehouse Management Systems (WMS).
Sergey Sidorov, Head of Industrial Security Services at Kaspersky, said modern retail and logistics are deeply digital, from enterprise-wide platforms down to the devices in workers’ hands. That connectivity means any technology at any level can become an entry point capable of destabilising the whole ecosystem, he explained, and the research shows that even one barcode scanner can do so. He argued that the warehouse sector and the wider retail industry should treat cybersecurity as a top priority at every layer of their operations.
To improve security in warehouse environments, Kaspersky advises organisations to:
- verify every new device before it joins the network
- switch off unused Bluetooth interfaces and enforce strong authentication
- segment warehouse networks so that only essential connections are allowed
- apply security updates promptly to both devices and the WMS
- limit account permissions to the minimum required
- run regular full-scale attack-path assessments
The company offers a broad assessment of industrial environments through its ICS Security Assessment, which looks for weaknesses in ICS, OT and networked devices, reviews configurations and access paths, and maps vulnerabilities to show practical risks. Because the assessment is done on-site, Kaspersky says it can reveal hidden risks without disrupting operations.
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These steps can be backed up by purpose-built products such as Kaspersky Industrial Cyber Security (KICS), designed to protect industrial organisations, including logistics firms. The platform improves visibility across corporate infrastructure and strengthens security without affecting system availability.
The full security audit of the warehouse digital ecosystem is published on Securelist.com.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
