Authenticated alert suppression via overbroad update policy
Published May 7, 2026 · Updated May 7, 2026
Incorrect authorization in FreeScout before 1.8.217 allows remote authenticated users to alter any user's notification subscriptions. UsersController::notificationsSave authorizes the target through the general UserPolicy::update check, which accepts PERM_EDIT_USERS without verifying self-ownership. A non-admin account with that permission can read another user's settings or disable an administrator's alerts, but cannot alter passwords, email addresses, or roles.
Summary
What happened
Incorrect authorization in FreeScout before 1.8.217 allows remote authenticated users to alter any user's notification subscriptions. UsersController::notificationsSave authorizes the target through the general UserPolicy::update check, which accepts PERM_EDIT_USERS without verifying self-ownership. A non-admin account with that permission can read another user's settings or disable an administrator's alerts, but cannot alter passwords, email addresses, or roles.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-41903
- Published
- May 7, 2026
- Updated
- May 7, 2026
- Vendor
- FreeScout
- Product
- FreeScout
- Classifications
- CWE-863, T1562
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 7, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 7, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=< 1.8.217
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
- GHSA-f489-qxv6-gvgg live RBAC reproductionproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo