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CVE-2026-40566 Detail

Description

FreeScout is a free self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox. Versions prior to 1.8.213 have a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in the IMAP/SMTP connection test functionality of FreeScout's `MailboxesController`. Three AJAX actions `fetch_test` (line 731), `send_test` (line 682), and `imap_folders` (line 773) in `app/Http/Controllers/MailboxesController.php` pass admin-configured `in_server`/`in_port` and `out_server`/`out_port` values directly to `fsockopen()` via `Helper::checkPort()` and to IMAP/SMTP client connections with zero SSRF protection. There is no IP validation, no hostname restriction, no blocklist of internal ranges, and no call to the project's own `sanitizeRemoteUrl()` or `checkUrlIpAndHost()` functions. The validation block in `connectionIncomingSave()` is entirely commented out. An authenticated admin can configure a mailbox's IMAP or SMTP server to point at any internal host and port, then trigger a connection test. The server opens raw TCP connections (via `fsockopen()`) and protocol-level connections (via IMAP client or SMTP transport) to the attacker-specified target. The response differentiates open from closed ports, enabling internal network port scanning. When the IMAP client connects to a non-IMAP service, the target's service banner or error response is captured in the IMAP debug log and returned in the AJAX response's `log` field, making this a semi-blind SSRF that enables service fingerprinting. In cloud environments, the metadata endpoint at `169[.]254[.]169[.]254` can be probed and partial response data may be leaked through protocol error messages. This is distinct from the `sanitizeRemoteUrl()` redirect bypass (freescout-3) -- different code path, different root cause, different protocol layer. Version 1.8.213 patches the vulnerability.


Metrics

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CVSS 4.0 Severity and Vector Strings:

NIST CVSS score
NIST: NVD
N/A
NVD assessment not yet provided.

References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

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URL Source(s) Tag(s)
https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/commit/efe82e31b4a0d4c0b20025d09df0615e8139ff08 GitHub, Inc.
https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/releases/tag/1.8.213 GitHub, Inc.
https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/security/advisories/GHSA-fg98-rgx6-8x4g CISA-ADP, GitHub, Inc.

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-ID CWE Name Source
CWE-918 Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) GitHub, Inc.  

Change History

2 change records found show changes

Quick Info

CVE Dictionary Entry:
CVE-2026-40566
NVD Published Date:
04/21/2026
NVD Last Modified:
04/21/2026
Source:
GitHub, Inc.