Directus: Path Traversal and Broken Access Control in File Management API — directus
Improper Access ControlSummary
Critical vulnerabilities were identified in the Directus file management API that allow unauthorized manipulation of file storage paths and metadata. These issues enable attackers to overwrite files belonging to other users, write files outside intended storage boundaries via path traversal, and potentially achieve remote code execution under certain conditions.
Details
The file management API accepts user-controlled parameters that should be restricted to server-side logic only. Specifically, the filename_disk parameter can be manipulated in both POST /files and PATCH /files/{id} requests, enabling two attack vectors:
-
Path Traversal: By specifying paths containing
../sequences in thefilename_diskparameter during file upload, attackers can write files outside the intended storage prefix. -
Broken Access Control: By modifying the
filename_diskparameter to reference another user's file, attackers can overwrite legitimate files with malicious content while manipulating metadata fields (such asuploaded_by) to obscure the tampering.
Impact
-
Unauthorized File Overwrite: Attackers can replace legitimate files with malicious content, creating significant risk of malware propagation and data corruption.
-
Storage Boundary Bypass: Files can be written to arbitrary locations outside the designated storage area, potentially affecting system configurations or application components.
-
Remote Code Execution: If the storage backend is shared with the extensions location, attackers can deploy malicious extensions that execute arbitrary code when loaded (either via service restart or administrator-triggered extension reload).
-
Data Integrity Compromise: Sensitive files can be tampered with or replaced without visible indication in the application interface, undermining trust in stored data.
Mitigation
The filename_disk parameter should not be accepted from client input. File paths must be generated exclusively using server-side logic. If client input must be accepted for any path-like parameters, implementations should normalize paths and strictly verify containment within allowed directories, rejecting path traversal sequences, absolute paths, and path separator variants.
| Software | From | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
directus
|
- | 11.17.0 |
Deep Security Visibility Without the Complexity
SynScan provides clear, real-time security insights so you can monitor your attack surface, spot risks early, and act fast—without extra complexity.
- No setup fees
- 5-min deployment
- Cancel anytime
Frequently Asked Questions
A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.
CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.
A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.
Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.
Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.
SynScan combines attack surface monitoring and continuous security auditing to keep your inventory current, flag high-impact vulnerabilities early, and help you turn raw findings into a practical remediation plan.