CVE-2026-40565
FreeScout has Stored XSS / CSS Injection via linkify() — Unescaped URL in Anchor href
Description
FreeScout is a free self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox. Prior to version 1.8.213, FreeScout's linkify() function in app/Misc/Helper.php converts plain-text URLs in email bodies into HTML anchor tags without escaping double-quote characters (") in the URL. HTMLPurifier (called first via getCleanBody()) preserves literal " characters in text nodes. linkify() then wraps URLs including those " chars inside an unescaped href="..." attribute, breaking out of the href and injecting arbitrary HTML attributes. Version 1.8.213 fixes the issue.
INFO
Published Date :
April 21, 2026, 4:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
April 22, 2026, 5:34 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | [email protected] |
Solution
- Update FreeScout to version 1.8.213.
- Apply the latest security patches.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-40565.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-40565 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-40565
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-40565 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-40565 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Apr. 22, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:freescout:freescout:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 1.8.213 Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/commit/265379b3ae343f06846adc0aa8510643d1eac2df Types: Patch Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/releases/tag/1.8.213 Types: Release Notes Added Reference Type CISA-ADP: https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/security/advisories/GHSA-49pm-xwqj-vwjp Types: Vendor Advisory Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/security/advisories/GHSA-49pm-xwqj-vwjp Types: Vendor Advisory -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Apr. 21, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/security/advisories/GHSA-49pm-xwqj-vwjp -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Apr. 21, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description FreeScout is a free self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox. Prior to version 1.8.213, FreeScout's linkify() function in app/Misc/Helper.php converts plain-text URLs in email bodies into HTML anchor tags without escaping double-quote characters (") in the URL. HTMLPurifier (called first via getCleanBody()) preserves literal " characters in text nodes. linkify() then wraps URLs including those " chars inside an unescaped href="..." attribute, breaking out of the href and injecting arbitrary HTML attributes. Version 1.8.213 fixes the issue. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N Added CWE CWE-79 Added Reference https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/commit/265379b3ae343f06846adc0aa8510643d1eac2df Added Reference https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/releases/tag/1.8.213 Added Reference https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/security/advisories/GHSA-49pm-xwqj-vwjp