Service interruption via unthrottled file uploads
Published Jul 20, 2026 · Updated Jul 20, 2026
Missing request throttling in FreeScout before 1.8.224 allows remote authenticated users to interrupt service through repeated file uploads. The file upload endpoint accepts unlimited requests without per-user quotas or CAPTCHA, and every accepted request creates a database record and stores a file on disk. Ordinary user access is sufficient; guest uploads make the endpoint unauthenticated, and sustained replay consumes storage and database I/O until legitimate use is disrupted.
Summary
What happened
Missing request throttling in FreeScout before 1.8.224 allows remote authenticated users to interrupt service through repeated file uploads. The file upload endpoint accepts unlimited requests without per-user quotas or CAPTCHA, and every accepted request creates a database record and stores a file on disk. Ordinary user access is sufficient; guest uploads make the endpoint unauthenticated, and sustained replay consumes storage and database I/O until legitimate use is disrupted.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-53596
- Published
- Jul 20, 2026
- Updated
- Jul 20, 2026
- Vendor
- FreeScout
- Product
- FreeScout
- Classifications
- CWE-770, CWE-400, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 20, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 20, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=< 1.8.224
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- GHSA-ph4f-2jhx-q76w upload replay proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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