CVE-2025-48482 is a medium-severity mass assignment vulnerability affecting FreeScout, a free self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox software. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to 1.8.180. The root cause lies in the improper enforcement of behavioral workflow controls when updating the Customer object. Specifically, the fill() method is used to update the Customer object with client-provided data. This method processes fields such as 'channel' and 'channel_id' without sufficient validation or restriction. Because fill() is called with all data provided by the client, an attacker can supply unexpected or unauthorized values for these fields, leading to mass assignment. This can allow unauthorized modification of sensitive object properties that should not be user-controllable. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-841 (Improper Enforcement of Behavioral Workflow), indicating that the application does not properly enforce expected workflows or constraints when processing input data. The CVSS 4.0 base score is 5.3 (medium), reflecting that the vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without authentication or user interaction, has low complexity, and impacts confidentiality to a limited extent. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and the issue has been patched in FreeScout version 1.8.180. The vulnerability could allow attackers to manipulate internal state or configuration of the Customer object, potentially leading to unauthorized access or data integrity issues within the help desk system.

For European organizations using FreeScout versions prior to 1.8.180, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized modification of customer-related data within their help desk systems. This could lead to data integrity issues, such as altering customer communication channels or identifiers, which may disrupt customer support workflows or enable further attacks such as privilege escalation or data leakage. Since FreeScout is often used by small to medium enterprises and public sector organizations for managing customer interactions, exploitation could impact service availability and trust. The vulnerability's remote exploitability without authentication increases risk, especially for instances exposed to the internet or insufficiently segmented internal networks. However, the limited scope of impact (confidentiality impact is low) and absence of known active exploits reduce immediate risk. Nonetheless, organizations handling sensitive customer data or operating critical support services should prioritize patching to prevent potential exploitation that could degrade service quality or expose internal data.

1. Upgrade FreeScout to version 1.8.180 or later, where this vulnerability has been patched. This is the most effective mitigation. 2. If immediate upgrade is not possible, implement strict input validation and filtering on the server side to restrict client-supplied data fields, especially 'channel' and 'channel_id', preventing unauthorized mass assignment. 3. Employ application-level access controls to ensure that only authorized users or processes can modify sensitive Customer object properties. 4. Restrict network exposure of FreeScout instances by limiting access to trusted internal networks or VPNs, reducing the attack surface. 5. Monitor logs for unusual or unexpected changes to customer data fields that could indicate exploitation attempts. 6. Conduct regular security assessments and code reviews focusing on mass assignment and input handling vulnerabilities to prevent similar issues. 7. Educate development and operations teams about secure coding practices related to object property assignment and workflow enforcement.