Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2026-27637 is a critical-severity Use of Insufficiently Random Values (CWE-330) vulnerability in Freescout Freescout. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Forge Web Credentials (T1606); ranked at the 49th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SC-12 (Cryptographic Key Establishment and Management) and SC-13 (Cryptographic Protection) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-27637 is a critical authentication vulnerability in FreeScout, an open-source help desk and shared inbox application built on PHP's Laravel framework. In versions prior to 1.8.206, the TokenAuth middleware generates a predictable, static authentication token using an MD5 hash of the concatenation of user_id, created_at, and the application's APP_KEY. This token does not expire or rotate, making it susceptible to reconstruction by attackers who obtain the APP_KEY, a commonly exposed configuration value in Laravel deployments. The issue is classified under CWE-330 (Use of Insufficiently Random Values) with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
Remote attackers require only access to the APP_KEY to exploit this vulnerability, enabling them to compute valid authentication tokens for arbitrary users, including administrators, and achieve full account takeover without knowledge of passwords. Exploitation is straightforward over the network with low complexity, no privileges, and no user interaction required. The flaw can be leveraged independently or chained with CVE-2026-27636 for enhanced impact.
FreeScout version 1.8.206 addresses this vulnerability, along with CVE-2026-27636, through changes detailed in the project's GitHub commit 004a8231f6e413af1d4680930b0e2342fd4283f9. Security advisories GHSA-6gcm-v8xf-j9v9 and GHSA-mw88-x7j3-74vc on the FreeScout GitHub repository recommend upgrading to the patched version as the primary mitigation.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-8611
Vulnerability Data
FreeScout is a free help desk and shared inbox built with PHP's Laravel framework. Prior to version 1.8.206, FreeScout's `TokenAuth` middleware uses a predictable authentication token computed as `MD5(user_id + created_at + APP_KEY)`. This token is static (never expires/rotates), and…
more
if an attacker obtains the `APP_KEY` — a well-documented and common exposure vector in Laravel applications — they can compute a valid token for any user, including the administrator, achieving full account takeover without any password. This vulnerability can be exploited on its own or in combination with CVE-2026-27636. Version 1.8.206 fixes both vulnerabilities.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
—
—
- 8 hardening rules · 4 OS baselines
—
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
SC-12 requires proper cryptographic key establishment and management, which structurally mandates use of sufficient randomness for key generation.
SC-13 requires selection and implementation of approved cryptographic algorithms and methods, which inherently depend on and enforce sufficiently random values.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly enforce use of cryptographically strong RNGs and catch insufficient randomness during design, coding, and testing.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Cryptographic controls require use of approved, sufficiently random values for keys and nonces.
Security testing can detect weak randomness but does not prescribe the control itself.
Secure SDLC processes include verification steps that can catch insufficient randomness but do not directly specify RNG requirements.
Secure coding standards explicitly prohibit use of weak or predictable random number generators.
Secure authentication mechanisms depend on unpredictable values (nonces, salts, session tokens) to resist guessing.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
Oracle Linux 8 (3 rules)
- V-248563 The OL 8 SSH server must be configured to use strong entropy. prevents CWE-330
- V-248599 OL 8 must enable the hardware random number generator entropy gatherer service. prevents CWE-330
- V-248600 OL 8 must have the packages required to use the hardware random number generator entropy gatherer service. prevents CWE-330
Oracle Linux 9 (1 rule)
- V-271511 OL 9 must enable the hardware random number generator entropy gatherer service. prevents CWE-330
RHEL 8 (3 rules)
- V-244527 RHEL 8 must have the packages required to use the hardware random number generator entropy gatherer service. prevents CWE-330
- V-230253 RHEL 8 must ensure the SSH server uses strong entropy. prevents CWE-330
- V-230285 RHEL 8 must enable the hardware random number generator entropy gatherer service. prevents CWE-330
RHEL 9 (1 rule)
- V-257782 RHEL 9 must enable the hardware random number generator entropy gatherer service. prevents CWE-330