# CVE-2026-40565: FreeScout has Stored XSS / CSS Injection via linkify() — Unescaped URL in Anchor href

> Attackers can inject malicious scripts via unescaped URLs in email bodies, potentially leading to session hijacking or code execution in FreeScout.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 21 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-49pm-xwqj-vwjp

## What is CVE-2026-40565?

CVE-2026-40565 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in freescout-help-desk freescout, published on 21 Apr 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official 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.

Weakness: CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-40565?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Freescout Freescout.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-40565?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-40565 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-40565 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-40565 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in freescout-help-desk freescout

- [CVE-2026-28289](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-28289/): FreeScout 1.8.206 Patch Bypass for CVE-2026-27636 via Zero-Width Space Character Leads to Remote Code Execution (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2026-27637](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-27637/): FreeScout's Predictable Authentication Token Enables Account Takeover (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-32754](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-32754/): FreeScout: Stored XSS via Unescaped Email Template Rendering ({!! $thread->body !!}) (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2024-29185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-29185/): FreeScout OS Command Injection vulnerability (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2026-40498](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-40498/): FreeScout has Authentication Bypass and Information Disclosure in SystemController via /system/cron (high 8.9)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-40565 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-40565 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in freescout-help-desk freescout, published on 21 Apr 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-40565 exists.

Affected product: freescout-help-desk freescout. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-40565/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-40565/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-40565
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-40565
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-40565

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-40565/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.