CVE-2026-35412: Directus TUS Upload Authorization Bypass Allows Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-qqmv-5p3g-px89
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CVSS 7.1
CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-35412 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.1) tus upload authorization bypass allows vulnerability (CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization) affecting Directus libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves tus upload authorization bypass allows arbitrary file overwrite. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 11.16.1.

CVE-2026-35412 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-35412
GHSA Identifier GHSA-qqmv-5p3g-px89
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.1
CWE Classification CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization
Affected Product Directus
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.1

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-35412

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: 11.16.1 
npm install directus@11.16.1
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-2026-35412, 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 11.16.1), 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-863: Incorrect Authorization, where the product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check. 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 Directus' TUS resumable upload endpoint (`/files/tus`) allows any authenticated user with basic file upload permissions to overwrite arbitrary existing files by UUID. The TUS controller performs only collection-level authorization checks, verifying the user has some permission on `directus_files`, but never validates item-level access to the specific file being replaced. As a result, row-level permission rules (e.g., "users can only update their own files") are completely bypassed via the TUS path while being correctly enforced on the standard REST upload path. ## Impact - **Arbitrary file overwrite:** Any authenticated user with basic TUS upload permissions can overwrite any file in `directus_files` by UUID, regardless of row-level permission rules. - **Permanent data loss:** The victim file's original stored bytes are deleted from storage and replaced with attacker-controlled content. - **Metadata corruption:** The victim file's database record is updated with the attacker's filename, type, and size metadata. Privilege escalation potential: If admin-owned files (e.g., application assets, templates) are stored in `directus_files`, a low-privilege user could replace them with malicious content. ## Workaround Disable TUS uploads by setting `TUS_ENABLED=false` if resumable uploads are not required. ## Credit This vulnerability was discovered and reported by [bugbunny.ai](https://bugbunny.ai).

CVE-2026-35412 Affected Directus Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
11.16.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
directus
npm/directus
npm
< 11.16.1
11.16.1

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/directus/directus/security/advisories/GHSA-qqmv-5p3g-px89
NVD — CVE-2026-35412 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35412
Directus Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/directus/directus

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-35412?
CVE-2026-35412 is a security vulnerability in Directus involving TUS Upload Authorization Bypass Allows Arbitrary File Overwrite under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization.
Which Directus versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 11.16.1 across affected packages: directus.
What version fixes CVE-2026-35412?
Upgrading to 11.16.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is directus affected?
Yes, directus is affected in releases prior to 11.16.1. Upgrade your dependency to 11.16.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-35412?
CVE-2026-35412 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-35412?
CVE-2026-35412 is classified under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization (The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-35412?
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-qqmv-5p3g-px89",
  "modified" : "2026-04-07T14:20:12Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-04T06:11:18Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-35412" ],
  "summary" : "Directus: TUS Upload Authorization Bypass Allows Arbitrary File Overwrite",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nDirectus' TUS resumable upload endpoint (`/files/tus`) allows any authenticated user with basic file upload permissions to overwrite arbitrary existing files by UUID. The TUS controller performs only collection-level authorization checks, verifying the user has some permission on `directus_files`, but never validates item-level access to the specific file being replaced. As a result, row-level permission rules (e.g., \"users can only update their own files\") are completely bypassed via the TUS path while being correctly enforced on the standard REST upload path.\n\n## Impact\n\n- **Arbitrary file overwrite:** Any authenticated user with basic TUS upload permissions can overwrite any file in `directus_files` by UUID, regardless of row-level permission rules.\n- **Permanent data loss:** The victim file's original stored bytes are deleted from storage and replaced with attacker-controlled content.\n- **Metadata corruption:** The victim file's database record is updated with the attacker's filename, type, and size metadata.\nPrivilege escalation potential: If admin-owned files (e.g., application assets, templates) are stored in `directus_files`, a low-privilege user could replace them with malicious content.\n\n## Workaround\n\nDisable TUS uploads by setting `TUS_ENABLED=false` if resumable uploads are not required.\n\n## Credit\n\nThis vulnerability was discovered and reported by [bugbunny.ai](https://bugbunny.ai).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "directus"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "11.16.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/directus/directus/security/advisories/GHSA-qqmv-5p3g-px89"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35412"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/directus/directus"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-04-04T06:11:18Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-04-06T22:16:22Z"
  }
}