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Papercut MfApplication · Papercut

CVE-2023-3486

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-07-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 22.1.3 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
High EPSS Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
An authentication bypass exists in PaperCut NG versions 22.0.12 and prior that could allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to upload arbitrary files to the PaperCut NG host’s file storage. This could exhaust system resources and prevent the service from operating as expected.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

PaperCut NG versions 22.0.12 and prior contain an authentication bypass vulnerability that allows remote, unauthenticated attackers to upload arbitrary files to the application's file storage. This could exhaust system resources and cause denial of service.

MitigationUpdate PaperCut NG to a version newer than 22.0.12. If immediate patching is not possible, implement network segmentation and firewall rules to restrict unauthorized access to the PaperCut NG service.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Papercut MfApplication
Affected:< 22.1.3
Papercut NgApplication
Affected:< 22.1.3

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed PaperCut version
    Locate the PaperCut installation directory and check the version information. On Windows, this is typically found in the About dialog or in the server's web interface under Help > About. On Linux, check /opt/papercut or the installation logs.
    Affected if The installed version is 22.0.12 or prior, or any version below 22.1.3 for both NG and MF variants.
  2. Confirm PaperCut service is exposed to network
    Check if the PaperCut web interface ports (usually 8080, 8443, or 80/443) are listening on external interfaces or are accessible from untrusted networks. Use netstat or equivalent: netstat -an | grep -E '(8080|8443)' and verify binding address is 0.0.0.0 rather than 127.0.0.1.
    Affected if The PaperCut HTTP service is bound to 0.0.0.0 or an external IP address, making it reachable from untrusted networks.
  3. Verify file upload endpoint accessibility
    The vulnerability allows unauthenticated file upload to the application file storage. Test if the upload endpoint responds without authentication by attempting a request to the application without providing valid credentials.
    Affected if The application accepts and processes file upload requests without requiring authentication.
  4. Check for abnormal file creation activity
    Review PaperCut application logs and the file storage directory (typically /storage or within the installation folder) for unexpected or unauthorized files uploaded outside normal operations.
    Affected if Unexpected files appear in storage directories or logs show unauthorized upload attempts from external IP addresses.

You are affected if PaperCut NG/MF versions are below 22.1.3 and the service is accessible from untrusted network segments, as the authentication bypass allows remote attackers to upload files without credentials.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 22.1.3 or later
Fixed in 22.1.3
Interim mitigation

Update PaperCut NG to a version newer than 22.0.12. If immediate patching is not possible, implement network segmentation and firewall rules to restrict unauthorized access to the PaperCut NG service.

Recommended fix High confidence

PaperCut MF/NG 22.1.3 or later

  1. Backup the PaperCut installation and database before proceeding with the upgrade
  2. Download PaperCut MF or NG version 22.1.3 or later from the official PaperCut website (www.papercut.com)
  3. Stop the PaperCut service before running the installer
  4. Run the installer for the new version and follow the on-screen prompts
  5. Start the PaperCut service after the upgrade completes
  6. Verify the installation by logging into the admin interface and checking the version number

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Papercut Mf Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,480
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,968.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-3486 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data