CVE-2025-48487 in freescout
Summary
by MITRE • 05/30/2025
FreeScout is a free self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox. Prior to version 1.8.180, when creating a translation of a phrase that appears in a flash-message after a completed action, it is possible to inject a payload to exploit XSS vulnerability. This issue has been patched in version 1.8.180.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/30/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-48487 affects FreeScout, a self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox solution that enables organizations to manage customer support workflows. This application serves as a critical component in many enterprise environments where user interactions and support ticket management occur, making it a potential target for attackers seeking to compromise system integrity. The vulnerability specifically manifests in the translation functionality of the application's user interface, where flash messages are displayed after user actions. These messages are designed to provide feedback to users about the success or failure of their operations, but they become a vector for malicious exploitation when proper input validation is absent.
The technical flaw resides in the improper sanitization of user-supplied input during the creation of translation strings for flash messages. When administrators or users create translations for phrases that appear in these feedback messages, the application fails to adequately filter or escape special characters that could be interpreted as executable code. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79, which describes Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) flaws where untrusted data is embedded into web pages viewed by other users. The attack scenario involves an attacker creating a malicious translation entry containing JavaScript code or other malicious payloads that will execute in the context of other users who view the affected flash messages. The XSS vulnerability allows for arbitrary code execution in the victim's browser, potentially enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution as it represents a significant risk to the overall security posture of organizations using FreeScout. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability to escalate privileges, gain unauthorized access to support tickets, or manipulate the application's functionality to hide malicious activities. The nature of help desk applications makes them particularly attractive targets since they often contain sensitive customer data, internal communications, and business-critical information. Furthermore, the vulnerability could be leveraged as a stepping stone for broader attacks within an organization's network, especially if the help desk system has access to other internal resources or databases. The exploitation requires minimal privileges and can be performed through the translation interface, making it accessible to users with limited permissions. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001, which involves the use of phishing with malicious attachments or links, as the vulnerability could be exploited through crafted translation entries that appear legitimate to end users.
Organizations utilizing FreeScout should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to version 1.8.180 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the XSS vulnerability. Additionally, administrators should review existing translation entries for malicious content and implement proper input validation and sanitization measures. The patch addresses the root cause by ensuring that all user-supplied input is properly escaped and validated before being incorporated into flash messages. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual translation activities, and access controls should be reviewed to limit who can create or modify translation entries. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation in web applications and highlights how seemingly benign features like translation systems can become attack vectors when proper security measures are not implemented. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers as an additional defense-in-depth measure to mitigate potential exploitation attempts.