CVE-2026-35412

Received Received - Intake

Authorization Bypass in Directus TUS Upload Allows File Overwrite

Publication date: 2026-04-06

Last updated on: 2026-04-20

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description

Directus is a real-time API and App dashboard for managing SQL database content. Prior to 11.16.1, Directus' TUS resumable upload endpoint (/files/tus) allows any authenticated user with basic file upload permissions to overwrite arbitrary existing files by UUID. The TUS controller performs only collection-level authorization checks, verifying the user has some permission on directus_files, but never validates item-level access to the specific file being replaced. As a result, row-level permission rules (e.g., "users can only update their own files") are completely bypassed via the TUS path while being correctly enforced on the standard REST upload path. This vulnerability is fixed in 11.16.1.

CVSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-04-06

Last Modified

2026-04-20

Generated

2026-07-06

AI Q&A

2026-04-07

EPSS Evaluated

2026-07-05

NVD

CVE-2026-35412

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
monospace	directus	to 11.16.1 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-863	The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability exists in Directus versions prior to 11.16.1 in the TUS resumable upload endpoint (/files/tus). It allows any authenticated user with basic file upload permissions to overwrite arbitrary existing files by their UUID.

The issue arises because the TUS controller only performs collection-level authorization checks, verifying that the user has some permission on the directus_files collection, but it does not validate item-level access to the specific file being replaced.

As a result, row-level permission rules, such as "users can only update their own files," are bypassed when using the TUS upload path, even though these rules are correctly enforced on the standard REST upload path.

This vulnerability was fixed in Directus version 11.16.1.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can allow an authenticated user with basic file upload permissions to overwrite files they do not own or should not have access to.

Such unauthorized file overwrites can lead to data integrity issues, potential loss of important files, and unauthorized modification of content.

Because the vulnerability allows bypassing of row-level permission rules, it can undermine the security model of the application and potentially expose sensitive or critical files to unauthorized changes.

Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, upgrade Directus to version 11.16.1 or later, where the issue has been fixed.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability allows authenticated users with basic file upload permissions to overwrite arbitrary existing files without proper item-level authorization checks. As a result, row-level permission rules are bypassed, potentially leading to unauthorized modification of files.

Such unauthorized file overwrites could impact compliance with standards like GDPR and HIPAA, which require strict access controls and data integrity protections to prevent unauthorized data modification.

However, the provided information does not explicitly state the direct impact on compliance with these regulations.

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