# CVE-2020-19850: Directus API denial of service via resource exhaustion

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2020-19850-directus-api-denial-of-service-via-resource-exhaustion  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2023-04-04. Updated: 2026-05-14  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2020-19850 · Severity: low · CVSS 3.1 · Published 2023-04-04

Directus API, a tool used to connect databases to web and mobile applications, is vulnerable to a denial-of-service attack. An attacker can overwhelm the system with a large volume of requests, potentially making the API and the connected applications unavailable to legitimate users. This could disrupt business operations and prevent customers from accessing data or services.

Technologies: [directus (npm)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/directus). Vendors: [npm](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/npm).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2020-19850 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2020-19850 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2020-19850?** Low severity, with a CVSS score of 3.1, published 4 April 2023.

**Which products and versions are affected?** directus (npm) SEMVER:introduced=2.2.0,fixed=2.2.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2020-19850?** Yes. directus (npm): upgrade to 2.2.1 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2020-19850 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2020-19850?** Check whether you run directus (npm) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- directus (npm): upgrade to 2.2.1 or later

  ```sh
  npm install directus@2.2.1
  ```


## Technical details

A denial of service (DoS) vulnerability exists in Directus API v2.2.0 due to improper resource management (CWE-400). A remote attacker with low privileges can exploit this by sending a large volume of HTTP requests to the API, exhausting server resources and leading to a service outage. The vulnerability is addressed in version 2.2.1. Note that this affects the legacy v8-archive version of the Directus API.

## Affected products

- Directus Directus API 2.2.0

## Identifiers

- CVE-2020-19850
- GHSA-3gvp-54v2-2jrp

## Timeline

- 2023-04-04: advisory: NVD publication date
- 2023-04-04: disclosed: GHSA publication date

## References

- [https://github.com/directus/api/issues/982](https://github.com/directus/api/issues/982)
- [https://github.com/directus/v8-archive](https://github.com/directus/v8-archive)

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- [Directus sensitive information disclosure via aggregate queries](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-35442-directus-sensitive-information-disclosure-via-aggregate-queries)
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