CVE-2023-45820 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.9) CWE-755 vulnerability in directus. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2023-45820 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Directus crashes on invalid WebSocket message
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, a proxy for how much of the ecosystem is exposed.
directusnpmDescription
Directus is a real-time API and App dashboard for managing SQL database content. In affected versions any Directus installation that has websockets enabled can be crashed if the websocket server receives an invalid frame. A malicious user could leverage this bug to crash Directus. This issue has been addressed in version 10.6.2. Users are advised to upgrade. Users unable to upgrade should avoid using websockets.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | directus | ≥ 10.4.0&&< 10.6.2 | 10.6.2 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for directus. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update directus to 10.6.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-45820 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2023-45820 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2023-45820. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2023-45820 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2023-45820 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.