CVE-2024-8404 Arbitrary File Deletion in PaperCut NG/MF Web Print Hot folder

High 7.8 Published 26 Sep 2024 Updated 13 May 2025

An attacker with local low-privilege access can delete arbitrary files on Windows servers running PaperCut with Web Print enabled.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Any signed-in user
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2024-8404?

CVE-2024-8404 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in PaperCut NG, PaperCut MF, published on 26 Sep 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

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.

Weakness: CWE-59

Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-8404?

It affects 2 products.

Products include Papercut Papercut Mf, Papercut Papercut Ng.

How do I fix CVE-2024-8404?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-8404 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.

Is CVE-2024-8404 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-8404 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as GHSA-9cxr-86mw-8jw2.