Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V2 - Validation and Business Logic Input validation, allowlisting
|
| Impact | CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R) indicates network-accessible, low-complexity exploitation requiring no privileges but mandating user interaction. EPSS score not provided, limiting exploitation probability assessment. No public exploit code or CISA KEV status reported, suggesting this is a confirmed but not yet weaponized vulnerability. The requirement for UI interaction (user clicking a malicious link) significantly reduces real-world impact compared to a CVSS 5.4 with UI:N. Threat model depends on help desk context: attacks targeting support staff or end-users via phishing emails containing FreeScout-generated links are plausible. The vulnerability affects all versions prior to 1.8.211, making it a patch-worthy priority but not a critical 0-day. Organizations running exposed FreeScout instances should prioritize patching, particularly if user-facing. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker sends a help desk support request containing a crafted FreeScout URL with a malicious Host header (e.g., 'Host: evil.com'), or crafts a link to /system/status with Host manipulation. When a support staff member or customer clicks a generated password reset link or accesses the system status page, the application constructs absolute URLs using the attacker-controlled Host header value, redirecting the user to attacker.com. Alternatively, if FreeScout generates email notification links based on the Host header, the attacker can include a malicious Host in the initial request, causing the application to send emails with links pointing to attacker infrastructure. No public exploit code has been identified, but the attack requires only HTTP request crafting and user-interaction execution. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Mar 31, 2026
Host header manipulation in FreeScout prior to version 1.8.211 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to inject arbitrary domains into application-generated absolute URLs, enabling open redirects and external resource loading attacks. The vulnerability exploits unvalidated Host header values to construct malicious links and asset references, potentially redirecting users to attacker-controlled domains or loading external resources from compromised servers. CVSS 5.4 reflects low-to-moderate real-world risk given the requirement for user interaction (UI:R), though no active exploitation has been publicly confirmed.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: FreeScout 1.8.211. Upgrade immediately from the official GitHub releases page at https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/releases/tag/1.8.211. For organizations unable to upgrade immediately, implement a reverse proxy or WAF rule to validate and restrict the Host header to expected domain values only, preventing arbitrary domain injection. Verify that email notifications and system status pages (such as /system/status) are not exposing user-controllable URLs after patching. Audit logs for suspicious Host header values in prior access patterns.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
FreeScout is a Laravel-based PHP help desk application that dynamically constructs absolute URLs for links and assets using the HTTP Host header without proper validation. The root cause is improper input validation (CWE-20) of untrusted HTTP headers. Laravel applications commonly use the Host header to generate base URLs for email notifications, password reset links, and front-end asset references. When an attacker crafts a request with a manipulated Host header (e.g., 'Host: attacker.com'), the application incorporates this value into generated URLs, bypassing SAME_SITE protections and enabling open redirect vulnerabilities. This is particularly dangerous in help desk contexts where generated links are shared via email or displayed in system status pages, increasing user trust and click-through likelihood.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorNVD
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionNVD
FreeScout is a free help desk and shared inbox built with PHP's Laravel framework. Prior to version 1.8.211, host header manipulation in FreeScout version (http://localhost:8080/system/status) allows an attacker to inject an arbitrary domain into generated absolute URLs. This leads to External Resource Loading and Open Redirect behavior. When the application constructs links and assets using the unvalidated Host header, user requests can be redirected to attacker-controlled domains and external resources may be loaded from malicious servers. This issue has been patched in version 1.8.211.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
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What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
File upload bypass in FreeScout 1.8.206 — patch bypass for CVE-2026-27636. PoC and patch available. CVSS 10.0.
Remote code execution in FreeScout prior to version 1.8.206 allows authenticated users to upload `.htaccess` files that
Predictable password reset tokens in FreeScout help desk before 1.8.206. Weak random number generation allows attackers
Anonymous account takeover in FreeScout help desk before 1.8.224 lets an unauthenticated attacker seize the lowest-id ac
FreeScout is a self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.0), this vulnerability is remot
FreeScout is a free help desk and shared inbox built with PHP's Laravel framework. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.6), this
FreeScout is a self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.0), this vulnerability is remotely
FreeScout is an open source help desk and shared inbox built with PHP. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerabilit
FreeScout is a free, self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.3), this vulnerability is r
FreeScout is a free, self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is r
A stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in FreeScout help desk software versions 1.8.208 and below, whe
Arbitrary file write in FreeScout (prior to 1.8.215) allows authenticated administrators to achieve remote code executio
EUVD-2026-17673
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
GitHub
VulDB
Exploit-DB