Russian cybercrime group behind exploitation of PaperCut flaws
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-27350 | Authentication Bypass Leading to SYSTEM RCE in PaperCut MF/NG PaperCut MF and PaperCut NG print management software contain an improper access control flaw (CWE-284) in the SetupCompleted class that allows an unauthenticated attacker to bypass authentication and reach internal administrative functionality. The flaw is triggered by sending crafted, unauthenticated requests to the PaperCut application's web interface, without requiring valid user credentials. A successful attacker gains the ability to execute code in the context of the SYSTEM account on the PaperCut server, typically a Windows print server, giving full control of that host. Any organization running PaperCut MF or NG is potentially affected, and exposure is highest where the server's web interface is reachable from the internet or by untrusted networks. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: CISA added the flaw to the KEV on 2023-04-21 with known ransomware use, and EPSS rates exploitation probability at 100% within 30 days. Do: Apply the vendor's updates as instructed (this is the required action in CISA KEV) — upgrade PaperCut MF/NG to the patched releases listed in PaperCut's security advisory rather than relying on unpatched installs. Until patched, restrict network access to the PaperCut web/admin interface so it is reachable only from trusted hosts, and check the server for signs of compromise given known ransomware use. Prioritize internet-facing PaperCut servers, which public scans show are exposed in the thousands. | 9.8 | 100% | KEV ransomware PoC ×3 |
| masstens of thousands of organizations (~70k+) and millions of users; thousands of internet-exposed PaperCut servers |
Indicators of compromiseauto-extracted · verify before use · export allAll →
| Type | Indicator | Context |
|---|---|---|
| domain | windowservicecemter.com | d that the domain hosting the tools employed in the attack, windowservicecemter[.]com, was registered on April 12, 2023. It is interesting to n |
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Print management software provider PaperCut confirmed ongoing active exploitation of CVE-2023-27350 vulnerability.
On April 19th, Print management software provider PaperCut confirmed that it is aware of the active exploitation of the CVE-2023-27350 vulnerability.
The company received two vulnerability reports from the cybersecurity firm Trend Micro for high/critical severity security issues in PaperCut MF/NG.
Trend Micro announced they will disclose further information (TBD) about the vulnerability on 10th May 2023.
The company addressed both vulnerabilities with the release of PaperCut MF and PaperCut NG versions 20.1.7, 21.2.11 and 22.0.9 and later, it highly recommends upgrading to one of these versions containing the fix
“We have evidence to suggest that unpatched servers are being exploited in the wild.” reads the advisory published by PaperCut. “PaperCut received our first report from a customer of suspicious activity on their PaperCut server on the 18th April at 03:30 AEST / 17th April 17:30 UTC. PaperCut has conducted analysis on all customer reports, and the earliest signature of suspicious activity on a customer server potentially linked to this vulnerability is 14th April 01:29 AEST / 13th April 15:29 UTC.”
The CVE-2023-27350 (CVSS score – 9.8) is a PaperCut MF/NG Improper Access Control Vulnerability. PaperCut MF/NG contains an improper access control vulnerability within the SetupCompleted class that allows authentication bypass and code execution in the context of system.
Last week, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog.
Huntress researchers have observed post-exploitation activities within its partner environments after attackers exploited the above PaperCut MF/NG vulnerabilities.
Huntress security researcher Caleb Stewart also devised a proof-of-concept exploit for these threats, below is the video PoC shared by the company:
“From our recreated proof-of-concept, we observed child processes spawned underneath the pc-app.exe process. The screenshot below showcases a simple test of invoking PowerShell to call out to another location, demonstrating the achieved code execution.” reads the report published by Huntress.”
The researchers noticed that the domain hosting the tools employed in the attack, windowservicecemter[.]com, was registered on April 12, 2023. It is interesting to note that the domain was also hosting malware a variant of the TrueBot malware.
Truebot has been active since 2017 and some researchers linked it to the Russian Silence Group, while a recent investigation linked it to threat actor TA505 (aka Evil Corp).
“While the ultimate goal of the current activity leveraging PaperCut’s software is unknown, these links (albeit somewhat circumstantial) to a known ransomware entity are concerning. Potentially, the access gained through PaperCut exploitation could be used as a foothold leading to follow-on movement within the victim network, and ultimately ransomware deployment.” concludes the report published by Huntress.
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