CVE-2023-27481: Directus Directus Vulnerable To Extraction Of Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-m5q3-8wgf-x8xf
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-200
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-27481 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) directus vulnerable to extraction of vulnerability (CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) affecting Directus libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves directus vulnerable to extraction of password hashes through export querying. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 9.16.0.

CVE-2023-27481 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-27481
GHSA Identifier GHSA-m5q3-8wgf-x8xf
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
Affected Product Directus
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2023-27481

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: 9.16.0 
npm install directus@9.16.0
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-2023-27481, 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 9.16.0), 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-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor, where the product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information. 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

### Impact Users with read access to the `password` field in `directus_users` can extract the argon2 password hashes by brute forcing the export functionality combined with a `_starts_with` filter. This allows the user to enumerate the password hashes. ### Patches The problem has been patched by preventing any hashed/concealed field to be filtered against with the `_starts_with` or other string operator. ### Workarounds Ensuring that no user has `read` access to the `password` field in `directus_users` is sufficient to prevent this vulnerability. ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: * Open a Discussion in [directus/directus](https://github.com/directus/directus/discussions/new) * Email us at [security@directus.io](mailto:security@directus.io)

CVE-2023-27481 Affected Directus Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
9.16.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
directus
npm/directus
npm
< 9.16.0
9.16.0

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/directus/directus/security/advisories/GHSA-m5q3-8wgf-x8xf
NVD — CVE-2023-27481 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-27481
Directus Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/directus/directus/pull/14829
Directus Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/directus/directus/pull/15010
Directus Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/directus/directus

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-27481?
CVE-2023-27481 is a security vulnerability in Directus involving Directus vulnerable to extraction of password hashes through export querying under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor.
Which Directus versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 9.16.0 across affected packages: directus.
What version fixes CVE-2023-27481?
Upgrading to 9.16.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is directus affected?
Yes, directus is affected in releases prior to 9.16.0. Upgrade your dependency to 9.16.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-27481?
CVE-2023-27481 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-27481?
CVE-2023-27481 is classified under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor (The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2023-27481?
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
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-m5q3-8wgf-x8xf",
  "modified" : "2023-03-08T17:13:05Z",
  "published" : "2023-03-08T17:13:05Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-27481" ],
  "summary" : "Directus vulnerable to extraction of password hashes through export querying",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nUsers with read access to the `password` field in `directus_users` can extract the argon2 password hashes by brute forcing the export functionality combined with a `_starts_with` filter. This allows the user to enumerate the password hashes.\n\n### Patches\n\nThe problem has been patched by preventing any hashed/concealed field to be filtered against with the `_starts_with` or other string operator.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nEnsuring that no user has `read` access to the `password` field in `directus_users` is sufficient to prevent this vulnerability. \n\n\n### For more information\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory:\n* Open a Discussion in [directus/directus](https://github.com/directus/directus/discussions/new)\n* Email us at [security@directus.io](mailto:security@directus.io)",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "directus"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "9.16.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/directus/directus/security/advisories/GHSA-m5q3-8wgf-x8xf"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-27481"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/directus/directus/pull/14829"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/directus/directus/pull/15010"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/directus/directus"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-03-08T17:13:05Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-03-07T19:15:00Z"
  }
}