Overview
In this blog post, we are going to dive deep into a critical security vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-55746 that affects Directus, a real-time API and App dashboard for managing SQL database content. This vulnerability, if exploited, can lead to significant system compromise or data leakage, impacting the integrity and confidentiality of the targeted system. The wide usage and critical nature of Directus in managing database content makes this vulnerability a high-risk concern for organizations across sectors.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-55746
Severity: Critical (CVSS: 9.3)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Directus | 10.8.0 to before 11.9.3
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability lies in the file update mechanism of Directus. An unauthenticated actor can exploit this vulnerability to modify existing files with arbitrary contents, without changes being applied to the files’ database-resident metadata. In addition, the actor can upload new files with any content and extensions, which won’t show up in the Directus UI. This allows the attacker to inject malicious code or scripts into the system, which can potentially lead to system compromise or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Here’s a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited using a malicious HTTP request:
POST /file/update HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/octet-stream
{ "file_content": "<script>malicious_script</script>", "file_extension": ".html" }In this example, the attacker sends a POST request to the ‘/file/update’ endpoint of the vulnerable Directus version. The request contains a malicious script as the file content and specifies the file extension as ‘.html. This leads to the injection of the malicious script into the system, potentially leading to system compromise.
Mitigation Measures
The most effective way to mitigate this vulnerability is by applying the vendor patch. Directus has released version 11.9.3, which addresses this vulnerability. If for some reason, patching is not an immediate option, a WAF (Web Application Firewall) or IDS (Intrusion Detection System) can be used as a temporary mitigation measure. These systems can help detect and block malicious traffic, therefore reducing the likelihood of successful exploitation. However, they do not eliminate the vulnerability and are not a substitute for patching. It is strongly recommended to apply the vendor patch as soon as possible.