CVE-2024-54128
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2024-54128 is an HTML injection vulnerability in Directus's comment feature due to client-side filtering that can be bypassed. This allows attackers to inject malicious HTML content that could lead to cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. All Directus users with comment functionality enabled are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Directus
📦 What is this software?
Directus by Monospace
Directus by Monospace
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Successful exploitation could lead to full account compromise through session hijacking, credential theft via phishing, or malware distribution to other users.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious HTML/JavaScript to steal session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or deface the application interface.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output encoding, the risk is limited to minor interface disruption without data compromise.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access to submit comments. The bypass technique is straightforward once the vulnerability is understood.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 10.13.4 or 11.2.0
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/directus/directus/security/advisories/GHSA-r6wx-627v-gh2f
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Backup your Directus instance and database. 2. Update Directus to version 10.13.4 (for v10) or 11.2.0 (for v11). 3. Restart the Directus service. 4. Verify the update was successful.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Comment Feature
allTemporarily disable the comment functionality until patching is possible
Edit Directus configuration to disable comments feature
Implement Server-Side Validation
allAdd server-side input validation for comment content
Implement input sanitization in your Directus extensions or middleware
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement a web application firewall (WAF) with XSS protection rules
- Enable Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if your Directus version is below 10.13.4 (for v10) or below 11.2.0 (for v11) and if comment functionality is enabled.Check Version:
Check Directus admin panel or run: npm list directus (if using npm) or check package.json versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, test comment submission with HTML tags - they should be properly sanitized or rejected.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual comment submissions containing HTML/script tags
- Multiple failed comment validation attempts
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with comment payloads containing script tags or encoded HTML
SIEM Query:
source="directus" AND (message="comment" AND (message="<script" OR message="javascript:"))