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Papercut MfApplication · Papercut

CVE-2024-8404

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-09-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 23.0.9 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 arbitrary file deletion vulnerability exists in PaperCut NG/MF, specifically affecting Windows servers with Web Print enabled. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must first obtain local login access to the Windows Server hosting PaperCut NG/MF and be capable of executing low-privilege code directly on the server via the web-print-hot-folder. Important: In most installations, this risk is mitigated by the default Windows Server configuration, which restricts local login access to Administrators only. However, this vulnerability could pose a risk to customers who allow non-administrative users to log into the local console of the Windows environment hosting the PaperCut NG/MF application server. Update: This CVE has been updated in May 2025 to update the fixed version and fix process. Please refer to the May 2025 Security Bulletin. Note: This CVE has been split from CVE-2024-3037.

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

CVE-2024-8404 is an arbitrary file deletion vulnerability in PaperCut NG/MF affecting Windows servers with Web Print enabled. Attackers with local login access and the ability to execute low-privilege code through the web-print-hot-folder can delete arbitrary files on the system, potentially leading to denial of service or privilege escalation.

MitigationRestrict local console login to Administrator accounts only via Windows Local Security Policy or Group Policy, and apply the May 2025 security update to obtain the fixed version.

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:< 23.0.9
Papercut NgApplication
Affected:< 23.0.9

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 PaperCut installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\PaperCut MF or PaperCut NG) and check the version. You can also view the version from the PaperCut admin console or check the installer log files.
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 23.0.9 (e.g., 23.0.8, 22.x, 21.x, etc.)
  2. Confirm product is NG or MF
    Check if the installed product is PaperCut NG or PaperCut MF. Both are affected by this vulnerability.
    Affected if The product is either PaperCut NG or PaperCut MF with version < 23.0.9
  3. Verify Web Print hot-folder is enabled
    Access the PaperCut admin console, navigate to the Web Print / Print Release section, and check if the hot-folder feature is configured and enabled. The vulnerability specifically targets the web-print-hot-folder functionality.
    Affected if Web Print hot-folder feature is enabled and accessible to users with local login access
  4. Check local console login accessibility
    Review Windows Local Security Policy or Group Policy settings to determine which user accounts have logon access to the PaperCut server console. The vulnerability requires attackers to have local login access.
    Affected if Non-administrator users have local console login access to the PaperCut server

Your environment is affected if you are running PaperCut NG or MF version lower than 23.0.9 on Windows with Web Print hot-folder enabled and non-administrator users have local console login access.

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 23.0.9 or later
Fixed in 23.0.9
Interim mitigation

Restrict local console login to Administrator accounts only via Windows Local Security Policy or Group Policy, and apply the May 2025 security update to obtain the fixed version.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

PaperCut NG/MF version 23.0.9 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current version of PaperCut NG or MF installed on the Windows server
  2. 2. Backup the PaperCut application data and configuration
  3. 3. Download the latest version of PaperCut NG/MF (version 23.0.9 or later) from the official PaperCut website
  4. 4. Run the installer and follow the upgrade prompts to update the installation
  5. 5. After upgrade, verify that Web Print functionality is working correctly
  6. 6. Confirm the new version by checking About or the administration interface

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

Fix this in Papercut Mf Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,168.

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-2024-8404 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