CVE-2023-27474Network attack vector

Password-reset email HTML injection via unencoded parameters

Published Mar 6, 2023 · Updated Feb 25, 2025

HTML injection in Directus 9.22.4 and earlier allows remote attackers to place malicious markup in password-reset emails. The URL utility concatenates query keys and values into reset links without percent-encoding them, allowing crafted reset_url parameters to break into email HTML. Exploitation requires an allow-listed custom reset URL and a recipient who renders or follows the resulting message; that recipient's data integrity and confidentiality are at risk.

CVSS severity8.0
High
EPSS probability0.53%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

HTML injection in Directus 9.22.4 and earlier allows remote attackers to place malicious markup in password-reset emails. The URL utility concatenates query keys and values into reset links without percent-encoding them, allowing crafted reset_url parameters to break into email HTML. Exploitation requires an allow-listed custom reset URL and a recipient who renders or follows the resulting message; that recipient's data integrity and confidentiality are at risk.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-27474
Published
Mar 6, 2023
Updated
Feb 25, 2025
Vendor
Directus
Product
Directus
Classifications
CWE-79, T1566.002
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 6, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Feb 25, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=< 9.23.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Directus · Directusversion=< 9.23.0

Published CVSS scores

8.0GitHub, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
5.4NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-79Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
T1566.002Spearphishing Link

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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