Papercut MfApplication · Papercut

CVE-2024-1222

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 20.1.10 / 21.2.14 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
This allows attackers to use a maliciously formed API request to gain access to an API authorization level with elevated privileges. This applies to a small subset of PaperCut NG/MF API calls.

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

This is an API authorization bypass vulnerability in PaperCut NG/MF print management software that allows attackers to craft malicious API requests and gain elevated privileges. The vulnerability affects only a small subset of API endpoints and enables privilege escalation by bypassing authorization checks.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided security patch or update to PaperCut NG/MF. Review API access controls and monitor for unauthorized privileged access attempts.

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:< 20.1.10>= 21.0.0, < 21.2.14>= 22.0.0, < 22.1.5>= 23.0.1, < 23.0.7
Papercut NgApplication
Affected:< 20.1.10>= 21.0.0, < 21.2.14>= 22.0.0, < 22.1.5>= 23.0.1, < 23.0.7

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 installed PaperCut version
    Locate the version number in the PaperCut administration console (Help > About) or check the version file in the installation directory
    Affected if The version falls within any of these ranges: < 20.1.10, >= 21.0.0 and < 21.2.14, >= 22.0.0 and < 22.1.5, >= 23.0.1 and < 23.0.7
  2. Confirm API access is enabled
    Check if the PaperCut API service is running and accessible. Verify API endpoints are exposed in the configuration or network accessible
    Affected if API endpoints are enabled and exposed to network users
  3. Review API request logs
    Examine PaperCut server logs (especially api.log or application logs) for unusual API calls, especially to privileged endpoints or API methods that modify user permissions
    Affected if There are API requests to privileged endpoints that originate from untrusted sources or unusual service accounts
  4. Check for unauthorized privilege changes
    Audit user account modifications, role changes, or permission updates in the administration logs around the time of suspicious API activity
    Affected if User privilege changes occurred that were not initiated by known administrators through the normal admin interface

You are affected if your installed PaperCut NG/MF version is in the vulnerable ranges AND the API service is accessible, particularly if you see suspicious API calls or unexpected privilege escalations in your logs.

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 20.1.10 / 21.2.14 / 22.1.5 or later
Fixed in 20.1.1021.2.1422.1.5
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-provided security patch or update to PaperCut NG/MF. Review API access controls and monitor for unauthorized privileged access attempts.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 20.1.10, 21.2.14, 22.1.5, or 23.0.7 (or later) depending on your current version branch

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed PaperCut MF or NG version from the admin interface (Help > About) or server logs
  2. 2. Determine which version branch your installation falls into: < 20.1.10, 21.0.0-21.2.13, 22.0.0-22.1.4, or 23.0.1-23.0.6
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed version from the official PaperCut portal or update server
  4. 4. Back up the PaperCut database and configuration files before upgrading
  5. 5. Stop the PaperCut service
  6. 6. Install the fixed version: 20.1.10 (for old 20.x), 21.2.14 (for 21.x), 22.1.5 (for 22.x), or 23.0.7 or later (for 23.x)
  7. 7. Start the PaperCut service and verify the upgrade was successful
  8. 8. Review API authorization configurations to ensure no unauthorized access occurred

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
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,752.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-1222 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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-2024-1222 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