# CVE-2022-36031: Directus unhandled exception on illegal filename_disk value

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2022-36031-directus-unhandled-exception-on-illegal-filename-disk-value  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2022-08-30. Updated: 2026-09-25  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2022-36031 · Severity: low · CVSS 3.1 · Published 2022-08-30

Directus is a headless CMS platform used to manage and deliver digital content. An authorized user can crash the Directus service by modifying the filename_disk field to point to a folder and then accessing that file through the public assets endpoint, causing service unavailability.

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

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2022-36031 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2022-36031 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2022-36031?** Low severity, with a CVSS score of 3.1, published 30 August 2022.

**Which products and versions are affected?** directus (npm) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=9.15.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2022-36031?** Yes. directus (npm): upgrade to 9.15.0 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2022-36031 attacked?** It is attacked over the network.

**Am I affected by CVE-2022-36031?** 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 9.15.0 or later

  ```sh
  npm install directus@9.15.0
  ```


## Technical details

The vulnerability is an unhandled exception (CWE-755) triggered when an authorized user updates the filename_disk value on a file record to reference a folder instead of a file, then accesses that resource through the /assets endpoint. The root cause is insufficient input validation on the filename_disk field combined with missing error handling for invalid file access scenarios. The attack requires authenticated access with permissions to modify the filename_disk field on directus_files. Exploitation results in denial of service by aborting the Directus process. The vulnerability was patched in v9.15.0.

## Affected products

- Directus Directus before 9.15.0

## Identifiers

- CVE-2022-36031
- GHSA-77qm-wvqq-fg79

## Timeline

- 2022-08-19: disclosed: Public disclosure via GitHub advisory
- 2022-08-30: patched: Patched in v9.15.0

## References

- [https://github.com/directus/directus/security/advisories/GHSA-77qm-wvqq-fg79](https://github.com/directus/directus/security/advisories/GHSA-77qm-wvqq-fg79)

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