CVE-2026-40496: freescout · Weak Randomness
Affects freescoutSource CVE Database V5
Public exploit available · CVSS 8.8 High : upgrade to 1.8.213 as a priority.
Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 34% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 1.8.213
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:PExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 21 Apr 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: evidence found.
CVSS exploit maturity: proof of concept public
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), CVSS vector, the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 30 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade freescout and freescout-help-desk/freescout to 1.8.213.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| freescout-help-deskfreescout | Affected
| Fixed in
|
GitHubfreescout-help-desk/freescoutpkg:github/freescout-help-desk/freescoutOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
Upgrade FreeScout to version 1.8.213 or later, where the token generation method has been fixed to prevent token forgery. Patch status is not explicitly stated in a vendor advisory, but the version update is the official fix. Until upgraded, restrict access to the FreeScout instance and monitor for suspicious activity related to attachment downloads.
Description
FreeScout versions prior to 1.8.213 use a weak and predictable method to generate attachment download tokens, allowing unauthenticated attackers to forge valid tokens and download private attachments. The tokens are generated using md5 hashing of a concatenation of APP_KEY, a sequential attachment_id, and a size value that can be brute-forced. This vulnerability is fixed in version 1.8.213.