CVE-2026-81578
Critical 9.8 Exploited in the wild (KEV)
Confirmed active exploitation — CISA KEV catalog
- Name
- PaperCut NG/MF Missing Authentication for Critical Function Vulnerability
- Added to catalog
- Remediation due date (US federal)
- Required action
- Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.
Description
An improper access control vulnerability exists in the web management interface of PaperCut MF and PaperCut NG. Under specific conditions, unauthenticated remote requests targeting administrative functions can trigger backend actions prior to the completion of access validation checks. This allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to modify certain system configurations.
Metrics
- CVSS 3.1
-
9.8 (CRITICAL)
Score source: NVD
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - CVSS 4.0
-
8.8 (HIGH)
Score source: CNA
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X - EPSS — exploit probability
- 85% (percentile: 100) as of 1 November 2026
- CWE
- CWE-305
Affected products
papercut: papercut mf; papercut: papercut ng
References
- https://www.papercut.com/kb/Main/security-bulletin-27-aug-2026-urgent-security-… PatchVendor Advisory
- https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/pull/21842 Issue TrackingPatch
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026… PatchThird Party AdvisoryUS Government Resource