FreeScout is a free help desk and shared inbox built with PHPs Laravel framework. Prior to version 1.8.206, FreeScouts 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.
Weakness
The product uses insufficiently random numbers or values in a security context that depends on unpredictable numbers.
Affected Software
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freescout | Freescout | * | 1.8.206 (excluding) |
Potential Mitigations
- Use a well-vetted algorithm that is currently considered to be strong by experts in the field, and select well-tested implementations with adequate length seeds.
- In general, if a pseudo-random number generator is not advertised as being cryptographically secure, then it is probably a statistical PRNG and should not be used in security-sensitive contexts.
- Pseudo-random number generators can produce predictable numbers if the generator is known and the seed can be guessed. A 256-bit seed is a good starting point for producing a “random enough” number.
Related Attack Patterns
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/112.html
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/485.html
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/59.html
References
- https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/commit/004a8231f6e413af1d4680930b0e2342fd4283f9
- https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/security/advisories/GHSA-6gcm-v8xf-j9v9
- 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/security/advisories/GHSA-mw88-x7j3-74vc