CVE-2026-40565

FreeScout has Stored XSS / CSS Injection via linkify() — Unescaped URL in Anchor href

MEDIUM
6.1
CVSS Score
Published: April 21, 2026 at 03:52 PM UTC
Updated: June 17, 2026 at 10:45 AM UTC
2 products affected across 2 vendorsFreescoutFreescout

Using freescout by freescout-help-desk?

Get instant alerts when new vulnerabilities affect freescout - before attackers find them.

Real-time alertsTrack your software stackFree plan available
Severity
MEDIUM6.1
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.2%
SSVC
PoC

Description

FreeScout is a free self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox. Prior to version 1.8.213, FreeScout's linkify() function in app/Misc/Helper.php converts plain-text URLs in email bodies into HTML anchor tags without escaping double-quote characters (") in the URL. HTMLPurifier (called first via getCleanBody()) preserves literal " characters in text nodes. linkify() then wraps URLs including those " chars inside an unescaped href="..." attribute, breaking out of the href and injecting arbitrary HTML attributes. Version 1.8.213 fixes the issue.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

v < 1.8.213
v < 1.8.213
Affected range stops below 1.8.213, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet. What the record does show:

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCPoCNot automatablePartial impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

6.1MEDIUMGitHub_M
Attack Vector
NETWORK
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
NONE
User Interaction
REQUIRED
Scope
CHANGED
Confidentiality
LOW
Integrity
LOW
Availability
NONE
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusANALYZED
CWE
CWE-79

Get alerted

Stop reading CVE feeds looking for your own stack

Track the products you run and VulnTracker tells you when a new CVE affects them — with what is known about fixing it, and nothing about the rest.

Free plan, no card