GHSA-qqmv-5p3g-px89
HIGHGHSA-qqmv-5p3g-px89 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.1) CWE-863 vulnerability in directus. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-qqmv-5p3g-px89 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Directus: TUS Upload Authorization Bypass Allows Arbitrary File Overwrite
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
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_filesby 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.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | directus | all versions | 11.16.1 |
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 11.16.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-qqmv-5p3g-px89 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-qqmv-5p3g-px89 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-qqmv-5p3g-px89. 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-qqmv-5p3g-px89 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-qqmv-5p3g-px89 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.