CVE-2023-28443: Directus Directus Vulnerable To Insertion Of Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8vg2-wf3q-mwv7
CVSS 4.2
CWE-532 CWE-284
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-28443 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.2) directus vulnerable to insertion of vulnerability (CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File) affecting Directus libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves directus vulnerable to insertion of sensitive information into log file. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 9.23.3.

CVE-2023-28443 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-28443
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8vg2-wf3q-mwv7
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.2
CWE Classification CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File
Affected Product Directus
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.2

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required High (PR:H)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2023-28443

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Directus dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

directus fixed: 9.23.3
npm install directus@9.23.3
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:

npm ls directus

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2023-28443, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls directus

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Directus in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 9.23.3), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls directus command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File, where the product writes sensitive information to a log file. In Directus, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Summary CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File discovered in v9.23.1. The `directus_refresh_token` is not redacted properly from the log outputs and can be used to impersonate users without their permission. ### Details Using `v9.23.1`, I am seeing that the `directus_refresh_token` is not properly redacted as indicated by https://github.com/directus/directus/blob/7c479c5161639aac466c763b6b958a9524201d74/api/src/logger.ts#L13 I'm classifying this as a security vulnerability because if someone has access to the log outputs, for example with a shared Cloud account or Splunk implementation, they could exchange the refresh token using `/auth/refresh` for an access token and use the token to perform actions on behalf of an unsuspecting user. This situation creates issues with accountability and non-repudiation because we can no longer have confidence that actions taken in the application were authorized or even performed by the logged-in user. A couple of examples of this are: - A disgruntled employee deletes all of the data to get even with a target team member before logging off on their last day - Under the guise of their unsuspecting boss, a mischievous engineer uploads _questionable_ images that get displayed on internal or external facing content sites The list could go on but I think these communicate the risk of an internal threat that has access to this information 😆 ### PoC 1. Set `LOG_STYLE="raw"` and run Directus v9.23.1 1. Log in to the application 1. Look at the shell output and see that `directus_refresh_token` is logged > Note: This is different from the standard `raw` output format. I intentionally ran this with `npx directus start | pino-pretty` so logs would be easier to read. It can also be reproduced by running `npx directus start` alone. ![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/13325146/224877190-54e12d7e-3c3e-42d3-9e21-0bd4439f4f44.png) 1. Exchange the `directus_refresh_token` for an `access_token` ``` shell curl -X POST \ 'http://0.0.0.0:8055/auth/refresh' \ --header 'Accept: */*' \ --header 'Cookie: directus_refresh_token=$shh' ``` ### Impact Because this can be used to exploit other threats related to [CWE-284: Improper Access Control](https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/284.html) I rank it with a Moderate severity. An insider with knowledge of this could do many mischievous things and get away with them for a long time without victims knowing about it.

CVE-2023-28443 Affected Directus Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
9.23.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
directus
npm
< 9.23.3
9.23.3

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-28443?
CVE-2023-28443 is a security vulnerability in Directus involving directus vulnerable to Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File under CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File.
Which Directus versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 9.23.3 across affected packages: directus.
What version fixes CVE-2023-28443?
Upgrading to 9.23.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is directus affected?
Yes, directus is affected in releases prior to 9.23.3. Upgrade your dependency to 9.23.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-28443?
CVE-2023-28443 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.2 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-28443?
CVE-2023-28443 is classified under CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File (The product writes sensitive information to a log file.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2023-28443?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls directus'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-8vg2-wf3q-mwv7",
  "modified" : "2023-03-31T16:08:10Z",
  "published" : "2023-03-23T19:47:12Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-28443" ],
  "summary" : "directus vulnerable to Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File",
  "details" : "### Summary\n\nCWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File discovered in v9.23.1. The `directus_refresh_token` is not redacted properly from the log outputs and can be used to impersonate users without their permission. \n\n### Details\n\nUsing `v9.23.1`, I am seeing that the `directus_refresh_token` is not properly redacted as indicated by https://github.com/directus/directus/blob/7c479c5161639aac466c763b6b958a9524201d74/api/src/logger.ts#L13\n\nI'm classifying this as a security vulnerability because if someone has access to the log outputs, for example with a shared Cloud account or Splunk implementation, they could exchange the refresh token using `/auth/refresh` for an access token and use the token to perform actions on behalf of an unsuspecting user. This situation creates issues with accountability and non-repudiation because we can no longer have confidence that actions taken in the application were authorized or even performed by the logged-in user. \n\nA couple of examples of this are:\n- A disgruntled employee deletes all of the data to get even with a target team member before logging off on their last day\n- Under the guise of their unsuspecting boss, a mischievous engineer uploads _questionable_ images that get displayed on internal or external facing content sites\n\nThe list could go on but I think these communicate the risk of an internal threat that has access to this information 😆 \n\n### PoC\n1. Set `LOG_STYLE=\"raw\"` and run Directus v9.23.1\n1. Log in to the application\n1. Look at the shell output and see that `directus_refresh_token` is logged\n    > Note: This is different from the standard `raw` output format. I intentionally ran this with `npx directus start | pino-pretty` so logs would be easier to read. It can also be reproduced by running `npx directus start` alone. \n\n    ![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/13325146/224877190-54e12d7e-3c3e-42d3-9e21-0bd4439f4f44.png)\n\n1. Exchange the `directus_refresh_token` for an `access_token`\n\n     ``` shell\n      curl -X POST \\\n        'http://0.0.0.0:8055/auth/refresh' \\\n        --header 'Accept: */*' \\\n        --header 'Cookie: directus_refresh_token=$shh'\n     ```\n\n### Impact\nBecause this can be used to exploit other threats related to  [CWE-284: Improper Access Control](https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/284.html) I rank it with a Moderate severity. An insider with knowledge of this could do many mischievous things and get away with them for a long time without victims knowing about it. \n",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "directus"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "9.23.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/directus/directus/security/advisories/GHSA-8vg2-wf3q-mwv7"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-28443"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/directus/directus/commit/349536303983ccba68ecb3e4fb35315424011afc"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/directus/directus"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/directus/directus/blob/7c479c5161639aac466c763b6b958a9524201d74/api/src/logger.ts#L13"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-284", "CWE-532" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-03-23T19:47:12Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-03-24T00:15:00Z"
  }
}