CVE-2026-41904: FreeScout Stored XSS vulnerability in mailbox auto-reply: payload reaches every customer's email client (no CSP), bypassing strip_tags validator with mixed…
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 30/100)
- 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: 0.17% (FIRST EPSS).
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. A user must open a link or visit a page. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- 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, a user with updateAutoReply permission can store an XSS payload in the mailbox auto-reply message. The payload is rendered unescaped in the auto-reply email sent to every customer who contacts the mailbox. Email clients do not enforce CSP, so the payload executes in the customer's webmail / mail-client context. This issue has been patched in version 1.8.217.
- Published
- May 7, 2026
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.1% · 6th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-79
Report tools
Action score
30
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 30 / 40 · 7.6 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.1%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- partial
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- —
- CNA · GitHub_M
- 7.6
- 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.
Limit the impact of XSSCheck security headers
Is your version affected? Check itNoroxi 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.
—
Limit the impact of XSS
This is a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability. A well-configured Content-Security-Policy doesn't fix it, but greatly reduces its impact. Check your site's CSP and other security headers for free.
Check security headersVersions 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-2026-41902FreeScout's user invitation hash never expires: permanent unauthenticated account takeover if invite link leaks36Monitor
- CVE-2026-41193FreeScout has Zip Slip path traversal in module installation that allows arbitrary file write leading to RCE36Monitor
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-2026-41903May 7, 2026 · FreeScout IDOR Vulnerability: PERM_EDIT_USERS allows modifying any user's notification subscriptions (incomplete fix of CVE-2025-48472)21Monitor
- Later →CVE-2026-41905May 7, 2026 · FreeScout vulnerable to SSRF via Helper::sanitizeRemoteUrl: redirect destination not re-validated, allowing internal HTTP / cloud-metadata access30Monitor
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.
No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).
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.
- CVE-2026-4056816 days apartFreeScout Vulnerable to XSS via Mailbox Signature Due to Incomplete HTML Sanitization34Monitor
- CVE-2026-62854183 days apartFreeScout: Stored XSS in mailbox signature via same-origin JS upload30Monitor
- CVE-2026-85742183 days apartFreeScout: Conditional stored admin XSS via failed-job details30Monitor
- CVE-2026-107393154 days apartFreeScout: Stored HTML Injection in Administrator Alert Emails via Spoofed CF-Connecting-IP Header24Monitor
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.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- A user must open a link or visit a page.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- low · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- none
Impact can extend beyond the vulnerable component (scope changes).
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- Low
- Availability impact
- None
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-79 · Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
nvd-secondary
Root cause
User content is inserted into the page as HTML. The browser interprets the content as code rather than data.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-79 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
commentEl.innerHTML = comment.body;Fixed
commentEl.textContent = comment.body;Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
ATT&CK techniques
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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.