CVE-2023-27351 remediation guide
PaperCut NG/MF
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to bypass authentication on affected installations of PaperCut NG 22.0.5 (Build 63914). Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the SecurityRequestFilter class. The issue results from improper implementation of the authentication algorithm. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to bypass authentication on the system. Was ZDI-CAN-19226.
Identify the affected asset
Confirm whether PaperCut NG/MF is installed, record the deployed version and installation path, and identify exposed interfaces.
- Record the product name, package or appliance identifier, and installed version.
- Identify internet-facing, administrative, API, and internal access paths.
- Preserve the pre-change configuration and relevant service logs.
Validate the affected-version match
Compare the deployed version with the affected range: 22.0.5 (Build 63914), >= 15.0 < 20.1.7, >= 21.0.0 < 21.2.11, >= 22.0.0 < 22.0.9. Treat incomplete inventory results as unresolved.
Prioritize with independent signals
CISA has listed this vulnerability in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Combine this signal with asset criticality, exposure, compensating controls, and business impact.
Apply supported remediation
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Verify the result
Confirm the resulting version, service health, authentication and access paths, monitoring coverage, and relevant security logs.
- Confirm the expected version and package state.
- Run a functional health check for critical service paths.
- Review authentication, error, application, and security monitoring logs.
- Reassess exposure if the supported fix cannot be applied.
Operational boundary
This page does not replace the vendor advisory, support contract, change-management process, or recovery plan. Do not infer that an asset is unaffected from an incomplete inventory query or a missing fixed-version field.