Path Traversal in Freescout-Help-Desk Freescout

CVE-2026-53594

FreeScout is a free help desk and shared inbox built with PHP's Laravel framework. FreeScout's `Manage -> Logs -> App Logs` feature uses the bundled `rap2hpoutre/laravel-log-viewer` override to decrypt a user-supplied file identifier and then pass the resolved path to Laravel's download response. Prior to version 1.8.224, the path resolution logic accepts any existing absolute path before applying the intended `storage/logs` restriction. As a result, an attacker who can access the App Logs route and forge a valid Laravel-encrypted `dl` parameter can download arbitrary server-local files readable by the PHP process, not just log files. Version 1.8.224 contains a fix.

Vulnerability class: Path Traversal (Directory Traversal)

EPSS: 0.005 (42.6th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 4.9 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-53594?
CVE-2026-53594 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Freescout-Help-Desk Freescout, classified under Path Traversal. CVSS score: 4.9/10. Published 2026-07-20.
How severe is CVE-2026-53594?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 4.9 out of 10.