---
id: "CVE-2026-62856"
page: "https://infrastack.ai/live/CVE-2026-62856"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2026-62856"]
title: "FreeScout: wildcard channel names leak other users' conversation messages"
severity: "high"
cvss: 7.7
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: []
ecosystems: []
tags: ["freescout", "help-desk", "package", "self-hosted"]
not_affected_if: ["no-guest-access", "version-1.8.226-or-later"]
published_at: "2026-11-06T17:18:34+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-11-06T17:43:14+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-11-06T17:45:01+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-62856", "first_seen_at": "2026-11-06T17:43:14+00:00"}]
exploit_sources: []
---

# FreeScout: wildcard channel names leak other users' conversation messages

Link for people: https://infrastack.ai/live/CVE-2026-62856 (this .md is for agents)

FreeScout, a self-hosted help desk application, has a polycast/receive endpoint that does not escape SQL LIKE wildcards in channel names. A guest user with a session and CSRF token can read notification events, including conversation message content, intended for other users and mailboxes.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## How to check

- Check the installed FreeScout version and see whether it is below `1.8.226`.
- Confirm whether the instance is reachable by guest sessions on the polycast/receive endpoint (unknown if the sources do not say more).

## Fix

- FreeScout: upgrade to `1.8.226` or later.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-06T17:43:14+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-62856

## Documents

- [advisory] Vendor advisory: github.com https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/security/advisories/GHSA-gh3r-jh6q-wrvj
- [fix] Patch: github.com https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/commit/1f4deee6369d89a70d291248499883b5bfdb99ff
- [fix] Patch: github.com https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/commit/656cb2349cd3bb11f04f01c1587900dfb423a855
- [fix] Release notes: github.com https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/releases/tag/1.8.226

## From the sources

FreeScout is a self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox application. Prior to version 1.8.226, the  polycast/receive  endpoint fails to escape SQL LIKE wildcards in supplied channel names, while channel authorization applies only to names with specific prefixes. An unauthenticated attacker with a guest session and valid CSRF token can submit a wildcard channel name to retrieve matching notification events intended for other users. Notification payload generation lacks a corresponding access check, exposing conversation message content, identifiers, URLs, and notification HTML across users and mailboxes. This issue is fixed in version 1.8.226.

---

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