Summary
Directus: SSRF Protection Bypass via 0.0.0.0 in File Import
The SSRF protection on Directus's file-import-from-URL feature can be bypassed using the address 0.0.0.0. While 127.0.0.1 and other internal addresses are denied, 0.0.0.0 is not added to the blocklist. On Linux and macOS, connecting to 0.0.0.0 reaches localhost, so an authenticated user with file-upload rights can make the server fetch internal services and retrieve the response as a downloadable file (full-read SSRF).
Affected Versions
- Affected: Directus
<= 12.0.0(confirmed ondirectus/directus:latest, v11.17.3, with default configuration) - Patched: Directus
>= 12.0.0
Details
Directus uses a deny-list config, IMPORT_IP_DENY_LIST, whose default value is ['0.0.0.0', '169.254.169.254'].
The issue is in how api/src/request/is-denied-ip.ts processes this list. When it encounters the entry 0.0.0.0, it treats it as a special keyword meaning "block all local network interfaces," but it never blocks the literal address 0.0.0.0 itself. The handler sets the network-interface flag and skips to the next entry without adding 0.0.0.0 to the blocklist.
What actually gets blocked is the loopback subnet 127.0.0.0/8 (from the lo interface) plus whatever addresses are assigned to the machine's network interfaces. The address 0.0.0.0 is not inside 127.0.0.0/8; it belongs to the separate 0.0.0.0/8 range. So a request to http://0.0.0.0:8055/ passes the blocklist check as "allowed."
At the OS level, however, connecting to 0.0.0.0 reaches localhost, functionally equivalent to 127.0.0.1. The same gap applies to the IPv6 unspecified address ::. As a result, the SSRF protection is bypassed.
Impact
An authenticated user with create permission on directus_files (file-upload rights) can make the server issue requests to its own localhost via the /files/import endpoint. The response body is stored as a downloadable file, making this a full-read SSRF. On bare-metal or single-host deployments, this can reach databases, caches, and internal APIs bound to localhost. This bypass defeats the protections tracked as CVE-2026-35409 and CVE-2024-46990.
Untrusted input controls the target URL of a server-initiated request, which may reach internal services not otherwise accessible from outside. Typical impact: access to internal metadata services, internal APIs, or cloud credentials.
CVE-2026-61835 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (High). The vector is network-reachable, low 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 (12.0.0); 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-61835? CVE-2026-61835 is a high-severity server-side request forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in directus (npm), affecting versions < 12.0.0. It is fixed in 12.0.0. Untrusted input controls the target URL of a server-initiated request, which may reach internal services not otherwise accessible from outside.
- How severe is CVE-2026-61835? CVE-2026-61835 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (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-2026-61835? directus (npm) versions < 12.0.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-61835? Yes. CVE-2026-61835 is fixed in 12.0.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-61835 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-61835 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-2026-61835 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-2026-61835? Upgrade
directusto 12.0.0 or later.