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Papercut MfApplication · Papercut

CVE-2023-39469

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 22.1.1 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
High EPSS Remotely reachable 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
PaperCut NG External User Lookup Code Injection Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of PaperCut NG. Authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the External User Lookup functionality. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of a user-supplied string before using it to execute Java code. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of SYSTEM. Was ZDI-CAN-21013.

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

Code injection vulnerability in PaperCut NG's External User Lookup feature allows authenticated attackers to inject arbitrary Java code due to lack of proper input validation on user-supplied strings, executing with SYSTEM privileges.

MitigationApply vendor patch immediately. Restrict network access to PaperCut NG admin interfaces and external user lookup services to minimize exposure.

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:< 22.1.1
Papercut NgApplication
Affected:< 22.1.1

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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. Check installed PaperCut version
    Locate the Papercut installation directory and find the version file (typically version.txt or check the admin web interface footer for version number)
    Affected if Installed version is below 22.1.1 (e.g., 22.0.x, 21.x.x, etc.)
  2. Verify External User Lookup feature status
    Access the PaperCut admin interface, navigate to Options > External User Lookup (or User/Authentication > External User Lookup) and check if any external data sources are configured or enabled
    Affected if External User Lookup feature is enabled with at least one external data source configured (e.g., LDAP, custom script, or database lookup)
  3. Confirm admin interface accessibility
    Check network accessibility of the PaperCut admin web interface (typically ports 8080, 8090, or 8443) from untrusted networks
    Affected if The admin interface or external user lookup service is accessible from networks where untrusted authenticated users exist

You are affected if your PaperCut version is below 22.1.1 AND the External User Lookup feature is enabled with a configured data source, especially if the admin interface is accessible to authenticated users.

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 22.1.1 or later
Fixed in 22.1.1
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patch immediately. Restrict network access to PaperCut NG admin interfaces and external user lookup services to minimize exposure.

Recommended fix High confidence

22.1.1

  1. Back up the existing PaperCut installation directory and configuration files before proceeding
  2. Download PaperCut version 22.1.1 or later from the official PaperCut website (www.papercut.com)
  3. Stop the PaperCut service if it is currently running
  4. Run the installer for version 22.1.1 to upgrade the existing installation
  5. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the upgrade process
  6. Restart the PaperCut service
  7. Verify that the External User Lookup functionality is working correctly and the application is functioning normally
Caveat Standard upgrade precautions apply: back up configuration and test in non-production environment first

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

Fix this in Papercut Mf Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.

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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-2023-39469 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