CVE-2026-40498

CRITICALNVD 9.89.8—
EchelonGraph scoreMEDIUM confidence

This critical-severity CVE scores 9.8 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 0.6%, top 56% of all CVEs by exploit prediction. GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).

Triggered by: NVD CVSS baseline
Sources: epss, nvd
Trending — 3 sources updated this weekElevated
9.8
EchelonGraph verdictPlan a fixSerious severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet.
  • High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS: 1%CVSS: 9.8Exploit: NoneExposed: 0

No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.

FreeScout is a free self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox. Prior to version 1.8.213, an unauthenticated attacker can access diagnostic and system tools that should be restricted to administrators. The /system/cron endpoint relies on a static MD5 hash derived from the APP_KEY, which is exposed in the response and logs. Accessing these endpoints reveals sensitive server information (Full Path Disclosure), process IDs, and allows for Resource Exhaustion (DoS) by triggering heavy background tasks repeatedly without any rate limiting. The cron hash is generated using md5(APP_KEY . 'web_cron_hash'). Since this hash is often transmitted via GET requests, it is susceptible to exposure in server logs, browser history, and proxy logs. Furthermore, the lack of rate limiting on these endpoints allows for automated resource exhaustion (DoS) and brute-force attempts. Version 1.8.213 fixes the issue.

CVSS v3
9.8
EG Score
9.8(medium)
EG Risk
75(Attend)
EG Risk 75/100SSVC: Attend

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).

How it’s computed
Severity98% × 45%
Exploitation40% × 40%
Automatability100% × 15%
Action: Remediate soon — notable exploitation risk.
EPSS
43.8%
KEV
Not listed

Published

April 21, 2026

Last Modified

April 22, 2026

Advisory Details (3)

Auto-updated May 12, 2026
🔬 Proof of concept available. Patch available. Sources: github.
github Patch Available🟡 PoC Available

Authentication Bypass and Information Disclosure in SystemController via /system/cron · Advisory · freescout-help-desk/freescout · GitHub

https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/security/advisories/GHSA-5jw5-q9j7-4rxc
generic

Release 1.8.213 · freescout-help-desk/freescout · GitHub

https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/releases/tag/1.8.213
generic

Improve Helper::getWebCronHash() · freescout-help-desk/freescout@b1d6c2c · GitHub

https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/commit/b1d6c2c601a6ec3626ab13e679607b5084dfbd38

Weakness Classification(3)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 12× in last 7d / 38× in last 30d)

Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.

  1. 2026-07-24 14:17 UTCEPSS rescore
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  5. 2026-07-23 03:11 UTCEG score recompute
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  69. 2026-05-19 01:48 UTCEG score recompute

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Frequently asked(5)

What is CVE-2026-40498?
CVE-2026-40498 is a critical vulnerability published on April 21, 2026. FreeScout is a free self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox. Prior to version 1.8.213, an unauthenticated attacker can access diagnostic and system tools that should be restricted to administrators. The /system/cron endpoint relies on a static MD5 hash derived from the APPKEY, which is exposed in…
When was CVE-2026-40498 disclosed?
CVE-2026-40498 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on April 21, 2026, with the most recent update on April 22, 2026. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2026-40498 actively exploited?
CVE-2026-40498 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 43.8% percentile likelihood of exploitation in the next 30 days — higher percentiles indicate greater predicted risk.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-40498?
CVE-2026-40498 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.8 (NVD).
How do I remediate CVE-2026-40498?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2026-40498, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

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