Skip to main content
VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-29182: parse-server · Incorrect Authorization

Affects parse-serverSource CVE Database V5

0
Compare

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.6 High : upgrade to 9.4.1-alpha.3 or 8.6.4 soon.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 06:59 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score
8.6High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 34% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in 9.4.1-alpha.3, 8.6.4
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 6 Mar 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponized: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 29 Oct 2026.

What to do

Upgrade parse-server to 9.4.1-alpha.3 or 8.6.4; parse-community/parse-server to 8.6.4.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
parse-communityparse-serverAffected
  • <9.4.1-alpha.3
Fixed in
  • 9.4.1-alpha.3
parse-communityparse-serverAffected
  • <8.6.4
Fixed in
  • 8.6.4
npmparse-community/parse-serverpkg:npm/parse-community/parse-serverOther threatsAffected
  • <8.6.4
  • =9.4.1-alpha.3
Fixed in
  • 8.6.4

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

  1. Upgrade all Parse Server deployments to version 8.6.4 or later, or 9.4.1-alpha.3 or later, where the vulnerability is patched.
  2. Immediately audit and rotate the readOnlyMasterKey to invalidate any potentially compromised keys.
  3. Restrict access to the readOnlyMasterKey by enforcing strict access controls and limiting its distribution only to trusted administrators and systems.
  4. Monitor logs and Cloud Hook/Job activities for unusual or unauthorized operations that could indicate exploitation attempts.
  5. Implement network-level protections such as IP whitelisting and firewall rules to limit access to Parse Server endpoints.
  6. Consider disabling the readOnlyMasterKey option if not strictly necessary or use alternative access control mechanisms with more granular permissions.
  7. Conduct regular security reviews and penetration testing focused on authorization controls within Parse Server deployments.
  8. Educate developers and administrators about the risks of key exposure and the importance of secure key management practices.

Description

Parse Server is an open source backend that can be deployed to any infrastructure that can run Node.js. Prior to versions 8.6.4 and 9.4.1-alpha.3, Parse Server's readOnlyMasterKey option allows access with master-level read privileges but is documented to deny all write operations. However, some endpoints incorrectly accept the readOnlyMasterKey for mutating operations. This allows a caller who only holds the readOnlyMasterKey to create, modify, and delete Cloud Hooks and to start Cloud Jobs, which can be used for data exfiltration. Any Parse Server deployment that uses the readOnlyMasterKey option is affected. Note than an attacker needs to know the readOnlyMasterKey to exploit this vulnerability. This issue has been patched in versions 8.6.4 and 9.4.1-alpha.3.

References

Community reviews

Loading reviews…