CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2025-48471 — FreeScout is a free self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox

Critical CVSS 9.8

FreeScout is a free self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox. Prior to version 1.8.179, the application does not check or performs insufficient checking of files uploaded to the application. This allows files to be uploaded with the phtml and phar extensions, which can lead to remote code execution if the Apache web server is used. This issue has been patched in version 1.8.179.

Severity
Critical
CVSS
9.8 (3.1)
Published
2025-05-29
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-434

Affected products

  • freescout / freescout

Matched remediation archetype

Path traversal, unsafe upload, and file handling

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted filenames, archive entries, URLs, and path segments into read, write, include, extraction, and upload operations.
  • Identify filesystem roots, mount permissions, symbolic-link behavior, archive handling, and whether uploaded content is web-accessible or executable.
  • Review canonicalization and containment checks across supported operating systems and storage backends.

Remediate safely

  • Generate server-side storage identifiers and resolve paths beneath a fixed root using filesystem-aware containment checks.
  • Reject absolute, parent-relative, alternate-separator, device, link, and archive entries that escape the intended root.
  • Store uploads outside executable or served paths, validate type and size, and use private atomic temporary files.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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