Summary
Workarounds
Disable the custom reset URL allow list.
Impact
Instances relying on an allow-listed reset URL are vulnerable to an HTML injection attack through the use of query parameters in the reset URL.
Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session. Typical impact: session or credential theft, and actions taken as the user.
CVE-2023-27474 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (9.23.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
The problem has been resolved and released under version 9.23.0. People relying on a custom password reset URL should upgrade to 9.23.0 or later, or remove the custom reset url from the configured allow list.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-27474? CVE-2023-27474 is a high-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in directus (npm), affecting versions < 9.23.0. It is fixed in 9.23.0. Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session.
- How severe is CVE-2023-27474? CVE-2023-27474 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of directus are affected by CVE-2023-27474? directus (npm) versions < 9.23.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-27474? Yes. CVE-2023-27474 is fixed in 9.23.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-27474 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-27474 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2023-27474 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2023-27474? Upgrade
directusto 9.23.0 or later.