FreeScout's user invitation hash never expires: permanent unauthenticated account takeover if invite link leaks
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 36/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.42% (FIRST EPSS).
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
- Fixed version: freescout-help-desk freescout 1.8.217.
Low priority for now. Upgrade to freescout-help-desk freescout 1.8.217 or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
FreeScout is a free help desk and shared inbox built with PHP's Laravel framework. Prior to version 1.8.217, the /user-setup/{hash} endpoint accepts a 60-character random invite_hash to set a new user's password. The endpoint performs no expiration check — the hash remains valid indefinitely until consumed. Combined with realistic hash-leakage scenarios (forwarded invite emails, HTTP referrer to external CDNs on the setup page, server-side log exposure, abandoned invite emails in shared inboxes), this enables unauthenticated permanent account takeover months or years after invite issuance. If the leaked invite was sent to an admin, the takeover yields admin access. This issue has been patched in version 1.8.217.
- Published
- May 7, 2026
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.4% · 35th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-613
Report tools
Action score
36
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 36 / 40 · 9.1 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.4%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- proof of concept
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- —
- CNA · GitHub_M
- 9.1
- NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
Running WordPress? Scan your site free with WP Lens
Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
—
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (GitHub_M). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
freescout-help-desk freescout
- < 1.8.217affected
Same product
freescout-help-desk: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2026-53595FreeScout vulnerable to anonymous account takeover via /user-setup empty invite_hash on MySQL38Monitor
- CVE-2026-41193FreeScout has Zip Slip path traversal in module installation that allows arbitrary file write leading to RCE36Monitor
- CVE-2026-40569FreeScout's Mass Assignment in Mailbox Connection Settings Enables Silent Email Exfiltration36Monitor
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2026-41192Apr 21, 2026 · FreeScout's client-controlled attachment IDs allow deletion of existing conversation attachments28Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2026-41194Apr 21, 2026 · FreeScout's Mailbox OAuth disconnect uses a state-changing GET and is CSRFable21Monitor
- Later →CVE-2026-41903May 7, 2026 · FreeScout IDOR Vulnerability: PERM_EDIT_USERS allows modifying any user's notification subscriptions (incomplete fix of CVE-2025-48472)21Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| freescout-help-desk freescout | 1.8.217 · description | Vendor (CNA) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- none
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- None
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-613 · Insufficient Session ExpirationCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
nvd-secondary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Show all references (1 more)Show less
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.