CVE-2026-32754: FreeScout: Stored XSS via Unescaped Email Template Rendering ({!! $thread->body !!})

Severity: critical (CVSS 9.3 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.5% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: yes
Published: 2026-03-19 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-79

Description

FreeScout is a free help desk and shared inbox built with PHP's Laravel framework. Versions 1.8.208 and below are vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) through FreeScout's email notification templates. Incoming email bodies are stored in the database without sanitization and rendered unescaped in outgoing email notifications using Blade's raw output syntax {!! $thread->body !!}. An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this vulnerability by simply sending an email, and when opened by any subscribed agent or admin as part of their normal workflow, enabling universal HTML injection (phishing, tracking) and, in vulnerable email clients, JavaScript execution (session hijacking, credential theft, account takeover) affecting all recipients simultaneously. This issue has been fixed in version 1.8.209.

Affected products

freescout-help-desk freescout: before 1.8.209 — fixed in 1.8.209

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: freescout-help-desk freescout 1.8.209. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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