CVE-2026-27637

critical

Description

FreeScout is a free help desk and shared inbox built with PHP's Laravel framework. Prior to version 1.8.206, FreeScout's `TokenAuth` middleware uses a predictable authentication token computed as `MD5(user_id + created_at + APP_KEY)`. This token is static (never expires/rotates), and if an attacker obtains the `APP_KEY` — a well-documented and common exposure vector in Laravel applications — they can compute a valid token for any user, including the administrator, achieving full account takeover without any password. This vulnerability can be exploited on its own or in combination with CVE-2026-27636. Version 1.8.206 fixes both vulnerabilities.

References

https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/security/advisories/GHSA-mw88-x7j3-74vc

https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/security/advisories/GHSA-6gcm-v8xf-j9v9

https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/commit/004a8231f6e413af1d4680930b0e2342fd4283f9

Details

Source: Mitre, NVD

Published: 2026-02-25

Updated: 2026-02-25

Risk Information

CVSS v2

Base Score: 7.5

Vector: CVSS2#AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Severity: High

CVSS v3

Base Score: 9.8

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Severity: Critical