SEPTEMBER 7, 2026
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Case File

CVE-2026-53593

HIGH · CVSS 8.8 EPSS 0.28% Public Exploit

Source: NVD + CISA KEV + EPSS · Published 2026-07-20 · Last synced 2026-08-19

CyberRota Analysis

AI-Generated

The vulnerability affects FreeScout prior to version 1.8.224, allowing authenticated users to upload files with the `.pht` extension, which can be executed as web shells on servers using Apache with the default PHP handler. This oversight enables attackers to execute arbitrary commands as the web server user, posing a significant security risk. Organizations using affected versions of FreeScout should prioritize upgrading to version 1.8.224 or later to mitigate this high-severity threat.

Public Exploit Signal

A public exploit, PoC, GitHub repository or Metasploit reference was detected for this CVE.

GitHub PoC Links

Note: these links are listed for security research and verification purposes only.

CVE
CVE-2026-53593
Severity
HIGH
CVSS
8.8
EPSS
0.28%
Apache

Original NVD Description

FreeScout is a free help desk and shared inbox built with PHP's Laravel framework. Prior to version 1.8.224, the denylist that neutralizes dangerous file uploads (`Helper::$restricted_extensions`) is incomplete: it does not cover the `.pht` extension. The authenticated upload endpoint `POST /uploads/upload` (`SecureController@upload`) stores files with their original extension into the web-accessible directory `storage/app/public/uploads/` (served at `/storage/uploads/`). On the standard Apache + `libapache2-mod-php` deployment, the default handler `<FilesMatch ".+\.ph(ar|p[3457]?|t|tml)$">` executes `.pht`, so **any authenticated agent can upload a `.pht` web shell and run arbitrary commands as the web-server user** (`www-data`). This is a direct bypass of the fix for CVE-2025-48471, which added `phtml`/`phar` but not `pht` (nor `phtm`, `phps`). Version 1.8.224 contains an updated fix.