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Papercut NgApplication · Papercut

CVE-2023-39470

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 22.1.1 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
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 print.script.sandboxed Exposed Dangerous Function 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 management of the print.script.sandboxed setting. The issue results from the exposure of a dangerous function. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of SYSTEM. Was ZDI-CAN-20965.

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 · moderate confidence

PaperCut NG contains a vulnerability in its print.script.sandboxed setting management that exposes a dangerous function, allowing authenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. This is a remote code execution vulnerability requiring valid authentication credentials.

MitigationApply vendor patches for CVE-2023-39470, review and restrict the print.script.sandboxed configuration if not required, and enforce strong authentication controls for administrative interfaces.

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 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. Identify PaperCut NG version
    Access the admin interface and navigate to the About or System Information page to view the installed version number, or check the version from the installation metadata
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 22.1.1
  2. Locate print.script.sandboxed setting
    Access the admin configuration panel and search for the print.script.sandboxed parameter in the print settings or scripting configuration section
    Affected if The print.script.sandboxed setting exists and is enabled or configurable
  3. Verify admin interface accessibility
    Confirm the PaperCut NG admin web interface is exposed and accessible, noting whether it requires strong authentication
    Affected if The admin interface is accessible over the network without adequate access controls
  4. Check for custom script configurations
    Review any custom print scripts or scripting configurations stored in the PaperCut data directory that may leverage the sandboxed setting
    Affected if Custom scripts are present in the print.script.sandboxed context

You are affected if running PaperCut NG version below 22.1.1 with the print.script.sandboxed feature accessible to authenticated users via the admin interface.

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 patches for CVE-2023-39470, review and restrict the print.script.sandboxed configuration if not required, and enforce strong authentication controls for administrative interfaces.

Recommended fix High confidence

PaperCut NG 22.1.1 or later

  1. Verify current PaperCut NG version by accessing the management interface or checking the product about page
  2. Backup the PaperCut NG configuration and database before upgrading
  3. Download PaperCut NG version 22.1.1 or later from the official PaperCut website (www.papercut.com)
  4. Stop the PaperCut NG service before performing the upgrade
  5. Run the installer for the new version, following the on-screen prompts
  6. After installation, start the PaperCut NG service
  7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version in the management interface
  8. Review the print.script.sandboxed setting in the management console to ensure it is properly configured for security
Caveat Review PaperCut release notes for version 22.1.x for any configuration or behavioral changes that may affect existing print workflows

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

Fix this in Papercut Ng Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2023-39470 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