Summary
directus vulnerable to Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File
Full technical description
CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File discovered in v9.23.1. The directus_refresh_token is not redacted properly from the log outputs and can be used to impersonate users without their permission.
Details
Using v9.23.1, I am seeing that the directus_refresh_token is not properly redacted as indicated by https://github.com/directus/directus/blob/7c479c5161639aac466c763b6b958a9524201d74/api/src/logger.ts#L13
I'm classifying this as a security vulnerability because if someone has access to the log outputs, for example with a shared Cloud account or Splunk implementation, they could exchange the refresh token using /auth/refresh for an access token and use the token to perform actions on behalf of an unsuspecting user. This situation creates issues with accountability and non-repudiation because we can no longer have confidence that actions taken in the application were authorized or even performed by the logged-in user.
A couple of examples of this are:
- A disgruntled employee deletes all of the data to get even with a target team member before logging off on their last day
- Under the guise of their unsuspecting boss, a mischievous engineer uploads questionable images that get displayed on internal or external facing content sites
The list could go on but I think these communicate the risk of an internal threat that has access to this information 😆
PoC
Set
LOG_STYLE="raw"and run Directus v9.23.1Log in to the application
Look at the shell output and see that
directus_refresh_tokenis loggedNote: This is different from the standard
rawoutput format. I intentionally ran this withnpx directus start | pino-prettyso logs would be easier to read. It can also be reproduced by runningnpx directus startalone.Exchange the
directus_refresh_tokenfor anaccess_tokencurl -X POST \ 'http://0.0.0.0:8055/auth/refresh' \ --header 'Accept: */*' \ --header 'Cookie: directus_refresh_token=$shh'
Impact
Because this can be used to exploit other threats related to CWE-284: Improper Access Control I rank it with a Moderate severity. An insider with knowledge of this could do many mischievous things and get away with them for a long time without victims knowing about it.
CVE-2023-28443 has a CVSS score of 4.2 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, high privileges required, and user interaction required. 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 (9.23.3); 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
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-28443? CVE-2023-28443 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in directus (npm), affecting versions < 9.23.3. It is fixed in 9.23.3.
- How severe is CVE-2023-28443? CVE-2023-28443 has a CVSS score of 4.2 (Medium). 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-2023-28443? directus (npm) versions < 9.23.3 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-28443? Yes. CVE-2023-28443 is fixed in 9.23.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-28443 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-28443 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-2023-28443 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-2023-28443? Upgrade
directusto 9.23.3 or later.