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CVE-2026-40498— FreeScout has Authentication Bypass and Information Disclosure in SystemController via /system/cron

Quick assessment

Affected
freescout-help-desk freescout
Exploitation
No confirmed in-the-wild exploitation; assess based on exposure
Recommended action
Check the vendor advisory and references for a fixed version. If immediate upgrade is impossible, restrict exposure and increase monitoring.

FreeScout是FreeScout公司的一个使用 PHP（Laravel 框架）构建的超轻量级且功能强大的免费开源帮助台和共享收件箱。 FreeScout 1.8.213之前版本存在安全漏洞，该漏洞源于/system/cron端点依赖静态MD5哈希，可能导致未经身份验证的攻击者访问诊断和系统工具，泄露敏感服务器信息，并通过重复触发后台任务导致资源耗尽。

AI Predicted 7.5 Difficulty: Easy EPSS 0.73% · P52
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I. Basic Information for CVE-2026-40498

Vulnerability Information
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Vulnerability Title
FreeScout has Authentication Bypass and Information Disclosure in SystemController via /system/cron
Source: CVE Program / CVE List V5
Vulnerability Description
FreeScout is a free self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox. Prior to version 1.8.213, an unauthenticated attacker can access diagnostic and system tools that should be restricted to administrators. The /system/cron endpoint relies on a static MD5 hash derived from the APP_KEY, which is exposed in the response and logs. Accessing these endpoints reveals sensitive server information (Full Path Disclosure), process IDs, and allows for Resource Exhaustion (DoS) by triggering heavy background tasks repeatedly without any rate limiting. The cron hash is generated using md5(APP_KEY . 'web_cron_hash'). Since this hash is often transmitted via GET requests, it is susceptible to exposure in server logs, browser history, and proxy logs. Furthermore, the lack of rate limiting on these endpoints allows for automated resource exhaustion (DoS) and brute-force attempts. Version 1.8.213 fixes the issue.
Source: CVE Program / CVE List V5
CVSS Information
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P
Source: CVE Program / CVE List V5
Vulnerability Type
信息暴露
Source: CVE Program / CVE List V5
Vulnerability Title
FreeScout 安全漏洞
Source: CNNVD (China National Vulnerability Database)
Vulnerability Description
FreeScout是FreeScout公司的一个使用 PHP（Laravel 框架）构建的超轻量级且功能强大的免费开源帮助台和共享收件箱。 FreeScout 1.8.213之前版本存在安全漏洞，该漏洞源于/system/cron端点依赖静态MD5哈希，可能导致未经身份验证的攻击者访问诊断和系统工具，泄露敏感服务器信息，并通过重复触发后台任务导致资源耗尽。
Source: CNNVD (China National Vulnerability Database)
CVSS Information
N/A
Source: CNNVD (China National Vulnerability Database)
Vulnerability Type
N/A
Source: CNNVD (China National Vulnerability Database)

Affected Products

Vendor Product Affected Versions CPE Subscribe
freescout-help-desk freescout < 1.8.213 -

II. Public POCs for CVE-2026-40498

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III. Intelligence Information for CVE-2026-40498

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Patches & Fixes for CVE-2026-40498 (1)

Vendor Advisories for CVE-2026-40498 (1)

Vendor Pages for CVE-2026-40498 (1)

Same Patch Batch · freescout-help-desk · 2026-04-21 · 20 CVEs total

CVE-2026-41193 9.1 CRITICAL FreeScout has Zip Slip path traversal in module installation that allows arbitrary file wr
CVE-2026-40569 9.0 CRITICAL FreeScout's Mass Assignment in Mailbox Connection Settings Enables Silent Email Exfiltrati
CVE-2026-40568 8.5 HIGH FreeScout Vulnerable to XSS via Mailbox Signature Due to Incomplete HTML Sanitization
CVE-2026-40497 8.1 HIGH FreeScout Vulnerable to CSS Injection via Stored Style Tag in Mailbox Signature (CSRF Toke
CVE-2026-40589 7.6 HIGH FreeScout has Customer Edit Cross-Mailbox Email Takeover
CVE-2026-41190 7.1 HIGH FreeScout has assigned-only visibility bypass via save_draft that allows hidden conversati
CVE-2026-41189 7.1 HIGH FreeScout has assigned-only visibility bypass that allows editing hidden customer-authored
CVE-2026-41191 7.1 HIGH FreeScout's signature only mailbox permission allows unauthorized mailbox chat setting cha
CVE-2026-40591 7.1 HIGH FreeScout: Improper Authorization in Phone Conversation Creation Enables Cross-Mailbox Hid
CVE-2026-41192 7.1 HIGH FreeScout's client-controlled attachment IDs allow deletion of existing conversation attac
CVE-2026-40565 6.1 MEDIUM FreeScout has Stored XSS / CSS Injection via linkify() — Unescaped URL in Anchor href
CVE-2026-40592 5.9 MEDIUM FreeScout's cross-user undo reply allows mailbox peers to recall another agent's outbound
CVE-2026-40567 5.8 MEDIUM FreeScout has HTML Injection in Outgoing Emails via Unsanitized Customer Name in Signature
CVE-2026-41194 5.4 MEDIUM FreeScout's Mailbox OAuth disconnect uses a state-changing GET and is CSRFable
CVE-2026-41183 4.3 MEDIUM FreeScout allows non-folder conversation queries to disclose assigned-only hidden conversa
CVE-2026-40590 4.3 MEDIUM FreeScout's Customer AJAX Create Modifies Hidden Existing Customer
CVE-2026-40566 4.1 MEDIUM FreeScout vulnerable to SSRF via IMAP/SMTP Connection Test Endpoints
CVE-2026-40570 FreeScout's Missing Authorization in load_customer_info Allows Any Authenticated User to A
CVE-2026-40496 FreeScout has Predictable Attachment Token that Allows Unauthenticated Private File Downlo

IV. Related Vulnerabilities

Same product: freescout
Same vendor: freescout-help-desk
Same weakness: CWE-200

V. Comments for CVE-2026-40498

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