CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2025-54366 — FreeScout is a lightweight free open source help desk and shared inbox built with PHP (Laravel framework)

High CVSS 8.8

FreeScout is a lightweight free open source help desk and shared inbox built with PHP (Laravel framework). In versions 1.8.185 and below, there is a critical deserialization vulnerability in the /conversation/ajax endpoint that allows authenticated users with knowledge of the APP_KEY to achieve remote code execution. The vulnerability occurs when the application processes the attachments_all and attachments POST parameters through the insecure Helper::decrypt() function, which performs unsafe deserialization of user-controlled data without proper validation. This flaw enables attackers to create arbitrary objects and manipulate their properties, leading to complete compromise of the web application. This is fixed in version 1.8.186.

Severity
High
CVSS
8.8 (3.1)
Published
2025-07-26
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-502

Affected products

  • freescout / freescout

Matched remediation archetype

Unsafe deserialization and object reconstruction

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Check exposure

  • Inventory serialization formats accepted from requests, queues, caches, files, cookies, and cross-service messages.
  • Trace whether untrusted input can select classes, types, callbacks, constructors, or object hooks during decoding.
  • Identify signing, schema validation, trust-boundary, and compatibility settings for each decoder.

Remediate safely

  • Replace native object deserialization with a data-only format and explicit schema validation.
  • If replacement is not immediate, use a safe decoder with a minimal type allowlist and disable polymorphic or executable hooks.
  • Update the affected library and add inert tests for unknown types, extra fields, malformed nesting, and unsigned data.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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