Directus: Authorization-dependent response served from unsegmented cache key

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

8.6 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N

EPSS

• CVE-2026-61836: 0.47% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 41.04 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Summary When response caching is enabled (CACHEENABLED=true), the cache-key derivation in api/src/utils/get-cache-key.ts includes only version, path, query, and accountability.user (plus a conditional ip). Authorization context beyond user (share, role, roles, admin, app, policies) is not part of the key. For share tokens this is load-bearing. Directus's share-authentication flow (api/src/services/shares.ts:100-105) issues a JWT without an id claim, so api/src/utils/get-accountability-for-token.ts never assigns accountability.user, leaving it null (the default from create-default-accountability.ts). Every share token, and every anonymous request, therefore reduces to user: null in the cache-key input. Two different shares (or an anonymous request and a share token) requesting the same URL with the same query produce identical cache keys. The first request populates the bucket with a permission-filtered response; subsequent hits from unrelated shares or anonymous clients receive that…

Published by the source

20 Jul 2026, 21:48 UTC

Last modified by the source

20 Jul 2026, 22:00 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 12:57 UTC

1. Revision 2 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-c6w9-5g5j-jh2p

2. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-c6w9-5g5j-jh2p

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-61836

Advisory: Directus: Authorization-dependent response served from unsegmented cache key
IDs: CVE-2026-61836, GHSA-c6w9-5g5j-jh2p
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-61836 (revision 2, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 12:57 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 8.6)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: directus 12.0.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- npm directus: affected < 12.0.0; fixed in 12.0.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls directus --all`: lists every installed copy and version, including transitive ones. Run in the project root after `npm ci`.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on directus.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-c6w9-5g5j-jh2p (OSV record GHSA-c6w9-5g5j-jh2p lists affected ranges: npm directus >=0 <12.0.0 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-c6w9-5g5j-jh2p (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-c6w9-5g5j-jh2p lists affected ranges: npm directus >=0 <12.0.0)

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