# CVE-2023-3486: PaperCut NG Unauthenticated File Upload

> Unauthenticated attackers can upload arbitrary files to PaperCut NG, potentially exhausting system resources and causing denial of service.

- **Severity:** High 8.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 25 Jul 2023
- **Updated:** 23 Oct 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-c382-pg7w-vxgr

## What is CVE-2023-3486?

CVE-2023-3486 is a high-severity vulnerability in PaperCut NG, published on 25 Jul 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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.

Weakness: CWE-434 (Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-3486?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Papercut Papercut Mf, Papercut Papercut Ng.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-3486?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-3486 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-3486 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-3486 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in PaperCut NG

- [CVE-2023-27350](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-27350/): PaperCut MF/NG Improper Access Control (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-82078](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-82078/): PaperCut NG/MF Unsafe Reflection (critical 9.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-81578](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-81578/): PaperCut NG/MF Missing Authentication for Critical Function (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2023-2533](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-2533/): PaperCut NG/MF Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2023-27351](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-27351/): PaperCut NG/MF Improper Authentication (high 8.2, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-3486 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-3486 is a high-severity vulnerability in PaperCut NG, published on 25 Jul 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-3486 exists.

Affected product: PaperCut NG. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-3486/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-3486/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-3486
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-3486
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-3486

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-3486/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.