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TI-2026-38652 Aliases CVE-2026-53595

FreeScout vulnerable to anonymous account takeover via /user-setup empty invite_hash on MySQL

Priority HIGH 82CWE-178Published · Updated

Key facts

Attack vector
Network
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low
Impact type
Security bypass
Confidentiality · integrity · availability
High · High · Low
Fix status
Fixed

Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-287.

Summary

FreeScout is a free help desk and shared inbox built with PHP's Laravel framework. Prior to version 1.8.224, the public endpoint `POST /user-setup/{hash}/{invite_sent_at}` (`OpenController@userSetupSave`) selects the target account solely by its `invite_hash` column, then overwrites that account's email and password and logs in as it. No authentication, cookie, or prior session is required. After a user activates, FreeScout sets `invite_hash` to the empty string. On MySQL and MariaDB, `VARCHAR` equality ignores trailing spaces, so a single URL-encoded space (`%20`) matches the stored empty string and selects the lowest-id activated user. The expiry guard decrypts `invite_sent_at` with the target's password hash, but `Helper::decrypt` returns its raw input unchanged when decryption fails. A plaintext numeric value such as `9999999999` therefore passes the time-to-live check without any secret. The result is that an anonymous attacker sets the email and password of the lowest-id activated FreeScout account (a support agent, or an administrator if one was added by invitation) and authenticates as that account. Version 1.8.224 contains a fix.

Why it matters now

Exploitation Proof of concept CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.01945 80th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Fixed freescout (freescout-help-desk): 1.8.224

SSVC decision points

CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3

Exploitation
Poc
Automatable
Yes
Technical impact
Total

The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.

Affected products

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed inStatusSource
freescout-help-deskfreescoutbefore 1.8.2241.8.224Patch availableCNA
  • freescout Vendorfreescout-help-desk Affected before 1.8.224 Fixed in 1.8.224 Patch available CNA

CPE names Threatist (inferred) · 1

Inferred from how NVD named this product before; not given by a source.

CPEVersionsRoleVendor
cpe:2.3:a:freescout:freescout:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*——freescout-help-desk

Remediation

  • Fix · CNA freescout (freescout-help-desk) Fixed in 1.8.224

Timeline

  1. 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-53595

References

  • TI-2026-22019 FreeScout's Predictable Authentication Token Enables Account Takeover CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
  • TI-2026-30304 FreeScout's user invitation hash never expires: permanent unauthenticated account takeover if invite link leaks CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
  • TI-2026-29249 FreeScout has Authentication Bypass and Information Disclosure in SystemController via /system/cron CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.9
  • TI-2026-29247 FreeScout has Predictable Attachment Token that Allows Unauthenticated Private File Download via Brute Force CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.8
  • TI-2026-38648 FreeScout Vulnerable to Unauthenticated Conversation Thread Injection via HMAC Length Bypass in FetchEmails CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.6
  • TI-2026-25245 FreeScout: Stored XSS via Unescaped Email Template Rendering ({!! $thread->body !!}) CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.3
See all 90 →

Sources

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences