Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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ReconObtain admin credentials
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DeliveryAccess mailbox configuration
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ExploitSet IMAP/SMTP server to internal target
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InstallTrigger connection test
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C2Receive service banner in AJAX response
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ExecuteFingerprint internal service
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ImpactMap internal network topology
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V4 - API and Web Service URL allowlisting, SSRF prevention
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Credential Access The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | The vulnerability requires the attacker to hold an authenticated admin account in FreeScout with permissions to access the mailbox configuration interface and trigger connection tests. No unauthenticated exploitation is possible; CVSS PR:H correctly reflects this high-privilege requirement. The attacker must have network access to FreeScout's web interface (typically AV:N). No special product configuration is required; default FreeScout installations with the mailbox feature enabled are exploitable. Exploitation is limited to TCP port ranges and IP addresses reachable from the FreeScout server's network context. Organizations using network segmentation or outbound firewall rules that restrict the FreeScout server's egress to only authorized mail servers can prevent internal reconnaissance, though this requires explicit configuration beyond FreeScout's built-in protections. |
| Impact | CVSS 4.1 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N) correctly reflects a network-accessible vulnerability with low attack complexity but high privilege barrier (PR:H requires admin role). The severity is mitigated by the admin-only authentication requirement; however, this does not eliminate risk in organizations where multiple administrators exist or admin accounts have broader permissions. EPSS data not provided. Exploitation requires no special conditions beyond admin access and is not reported as actively exploited (no KEV status in input). The vulnerability is technically straightforward (direct parameter to socket function), making exploitation trivial once admin credentials are obtained. Real-world risk depends on deployment context: in single-admin or restricted-access deployments, risk is lower; in larger organizations with shared admin responsibilities or compromised admin accounts, risk increases substantially. The semi-blind SSRF nature (service banners leaked via protocol errors) means this is not a complete information disclosure but enables reconnaissance of internal infrastructure. The scope change (S:C) indicates potential impact to systems beyond FreeScout itself (internal network targets). For environments without network segmentation, this could facilitate lateral movement reconnaissance. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An administrator (either legitimate with malicious intent or a compromised account) accesses the FreeScout mailbox configuration interface and sets the IMAP server address to an internal IP address such as 192.168.1.100 or a cloud metadata endpoint (169.254.169.254). The admin then triggers the connection test via the fetch_test or send_test AJAX actions. FreeScout opens a raw TCP connection to the specified target without validation, returning port-open/closed differentiation in the response. The attacker-controlled endpoint receives the unsolicited connection attempt, enabling port scanning. If the target is a non-IMAP service (e.g., SSH on port 22 or HTTP), the service banner is captured in IMAP debug output and returned in the AJAX response's log field, revealing service versions and enabling fingerprinting. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Apr 21, 2026
Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) in FreeScout versions before 1.8.213 allows authenticated administrators to probe internal networks and fingerprint services via unvalidated IMAP and SMTP connection test functionality. Three AJAX actions in MailboxesController pass attacker-controlled server hostnames and ports directly to fsockopen() and protocol clients without IP validation, hostname restrictions, or internal-range blocklists, enabling port scanning and service banner disclosure through IMAP debug logs and AJAX responses. The vulnerability requires admin authentication but affects confidentiality of internal infrastructure.
RemediationAI
Upgrade FreeScout immediately to version 1.8.213 or later, which includes input validation for IMAP and SMTP server addresses. The patch adds IP validation and hostname restriction logic to the three vulnerable AJAX endpoints. Organizations unable to upgrade immediately should implement network-level compensating controls: restrict outbound TCP connections from the FreeScout server to only authorized mail servers using host-based firewall rules or network segmentation (blocking access to private IP ranges 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, 192.168.0.0/16, 127.0.0.0/8, and 169.254.0.0/16), disable the AJAX mailbox test features via web server rules if not in use, and limit admin role assignment to trusted users only. See GitHub security advisory GHSA-fg98-rgx6-8x4g and commit efe82e31b4a0d4c0b20025d09df0615e8139ff08 for implementation details.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
FreeScout's mailbox configuration includes IMAP and SMTP server settings that administrators can customize. The vulnerability exists in three AJAX endpoints (fetch_test, send_test, imap_folders) within app/Http/Controllers/MailboxesController.php that call Helper::checkPort() and instantiate IMAP/SMTP client connections using admin-supplied in_server, in_port, out_server, and out_port parameters. These parameters are passed directly to PHP's fsockopen() function and mail protocol libraries without any validation against IP address ranges, private subnets, or localhost. The root cause is absent input validation (CWE-918: Server-Side Request Forgery) combined with commented-out validation logic in connectionIncomingSave(). The codebase includes defensive functions like sanitizeRemoteUrl() and checkUrlIpAndHost() that are deliberately not called in these code paths. In cloud deployments, the metadata endpoint at 169.254.169.254 becomes attackable, potentially leaking credential tokens or instance metadata through protocol error messages captured in debug logs.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N
Primary rating from GitHub Advisory · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorGitHub Advisory
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionGitHub Advisory
FreeScout is a free self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox. Versions prior to 1.8.213 have a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in the IMAP/SMTP connection test functionality of FreeScout's MailboxesController. Three AJAX actions fetch_test (line 731), send_test (line 682), and imap_folders (line 773) in app/Http/Controllers/MailboxesController.php pass admin-configured in_server/in_port and out_server/out_port values directly to fsockopen() via Helper::checkPort() and to IMAP/SMTP client connections with zero SSRF protection. There is no IP validation, no hostname restriction, no blocklist of internal ranges, and no call to the project's own sanitizeRemoteUrl() or checkUrlIpAndHost() functions. The validation block in connectionIncomingSave() is entirely commented out. An authenticated admin can configure a mailbox's IMAP or SMTP server to point at any internal host and port, then trigger a connection test. The server opens raw TCP connections (via fsockopen()) and protocol-level connections (via IMAP client or SMTP transport) to the attacker-specified target. The response differentiates open from closed ports, enabling internal network port scanning. When the IMAP client connects to a non-IMAP service, the target's service banner or error response is captured in the IMAP debug log and returned in the AJAX response's log field, making this a semi-blind SSRF that enables service fingerprinting. In cloud environments, the metadata endpoint at 169[.]254[.]169[.]254 can be probed and partial response data may be leaked through protocol error messages. This is distinct from the sanitizeRemoteUrl() redirect bypass (freescout-3) -- different code path, different root cause, different protocol layer. Version 1.8.213 patches the vulnerability.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Server-Side Request Forgery exploits applications that fetch remote resources based on user-supplied URLs.
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EUVD-2026-24167
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
GitHub
Exploit-DB