CVE-2026-40498 PUBLISHED

FreeScout has Authentication Bypass and Information Disclosure in SystemController via /system/cron

Assigner: GitHub_M
Reserved: 13.04.2026 Published: 21.04.2026 Updated: 21.04.2026

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.

Metrics

CVSS Vector: 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
CVSS Score: 8.9

Product Status

Vendor freescout-help-desk
Product freescout
Versions
  • Version < 1.8.213 is affected

References

Problem Types

  • CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor CWE
  • CWE-284: Improper Access Control CWE
  • CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling CWE