Executive brief
Directus, a platform used to manage database content and power custom applications, was found to expose user session tokens within website addresses (URLs) on its files page. If an unauthorized person gains access to server logs or a user's browser history, they could potentially use these tokens to hijack an active session. This could allow them to view sensitive information or perform actions as if they were the legitimate user.
Technical details
A vulnerability exists in Directus where the application uses the HTTP GET method to pass sensitive JSON Web Tokens (JWT) in the URL query string when navigating to the /files page. This violates security best practices (CWE-598) as URLs are frequently recorded in plaintext within web server logs, proxy logs, and browser history. An attacker with local access or administrative privileges to these logs could extract the session token to impersonate users. The issue is fixed in version 10.10.0 by ensuring tokens are no longer transmitted via GET parameters.
Affected products
- Directus directus < 10.10.0
Timeline
- 2024-03-12: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory published
- 2024-03-12: patched: Fix released in version 10.10.0