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Public proof of conceptFix available

CVE-2024-29185

A public proof of concept exists; no exploitation attested.

  • Published2024-03-22
  • Fixed in1.8.128
  • WeaknessCWE-78

Am I affected?

With a domain, we read the version its public headers and pages expose. A distribution build can carry the fix under an older number.

Description

FreeScout is a self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox. Versions prior to 1.8.128 are vulnerable to OS Command Injection in the /public/tools.php source file. The value of the php_path parameter is being executed as an OS command by the shell_exec function, without validating it. This allows an adversary to execute malicious OS commands on the server. A practical demonstration of the successful command injection attack extracted the /etc/passwd file of the server. This represented the complete compromise of the server hosting the FreeScout application. This attack requires an attacker to know the `App_Key` of the application. This limitation makes the Attack Complexity to be High. If an attacker gets hold of the `App_Key`, the attacker can compromise the Complete server on which the application is deployed. Version 1.8.128 contains a patch for this issue.

Timeline

dates in UTC
  1. 2024-03-2217:15CVE publishedNVD

Versions per branch

NVD · CISA-ADP
Freescout
BranchAffectedFixed in
1.8< 1.8.1281.8.128
Freescout helpdesk freescout
BranchAffectedFixed in
1.8< 1.8.1281.8.128

as publishedRanges as NVD and OSV publish them; a distribution’s build can be fixed under an older number.

Products declared by the CNA1 product

As GitHub_M, the CNA that assigned this CVE, declared them in the CVE record; versions as written.

  • freescout-helpdesk freescout
    Affected
    • = < 1.8.128no fix stated

Source: the CNA record (CVE Program), © The MITRE Corporation,CVE Terms of UseCVE recordupdated 2024-03-22

Fix

  1. Update Freescout to 1.8.128

Advisories and patches

Detection

Nuclei template
none so far
ProjectDiscovery
Exploit-DB
no entry
Exploit-DB
Proof of concept
Metasploit modules
none listed
Metasploit Framework

Sources

  • CISA-ADPSSVC decisionpoc2024-03-27
  • CNACVSS 3.19known since 2026-10-23
  • NVDCVSS 3.19read 2026-10-23
  • CNAweakness (CWE)CWE-78known since 2026-10-23
  • NVDweakness (CWE)CWE-78read 2026-10-23
  • FIRST EPSSEPSS score1.7 %2026-11-08

Identifiers

Technical details

CVSS v3 Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Published
2024-03-22
Last Modified
2026-06-17
NVD status
Analyzed

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2024-29185?

FreeScout is a self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox. Versions prior to 1.8.128 are vulnerable to OS Command Injection in the /public/tools.php source file. The value of the php_path parameter is being executed as an OS command by the shell_exec function, without validating it. This allows an adversary to execute malicious OS commands on the server. A practical demonstration of the successful command injection attack extracted the /etc/passwd file of the server. This represented the complete compromise of the server hosting the FreeScout application. This attack requires an attacker to know the `App_Key` of the application. This limitation makes the Attack Complexity to be High. If an attacker gets hold of the `App_Key`, the attacker can compromise the Complete server on which the application is deployed. Version 1.8.128 contains a patch for this issue.

Is CVE-2024-29185 actively exploited?

A proof-of-concept exploit exists for CVE-2024-29185, but active exploitation has not been confirmed at this time.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2024-29185?

CVE-2024-29185 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9 (CRITICAL severity), with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.

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