VulnerabilityPublished 7 Mar 2026Updated 9 Mar 2026

CVE-2026-30854: parse-server · Incorrect Authorization

Affects parse-serverSource CVE Database V5

Compare

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.9 Medium : upgrade to 9.5.0-alpha.10 when convenient.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 06:59 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score

6.9Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 21% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 9.5.0-alpha.10

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Requirements: None
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Vulnerable system confidentiality: Low
Vulnerable system integrity: None
Vulnerable system availability: None
Subsequent system confidentiality: None
Subsequent system integrity: None
Subsequent system availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable system is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed below, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed “remotely exploitable” and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: The attacker must take no measurable action to exploit the vulnerability. The attack requires no target-specific circumvention to exploit the vulnerability. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: None: The successful attack does not depend on the deployment and execution conditions of the vulnerable system. The attacker can expect to be able to reach the vulnerability and execute the exploit under all or most instances of the vulnerability.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files of the vulnerable system to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without interaction from any human user, other than the attacker.
Vulnerable system confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Subsequent System or all confidentiality impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Subsequent System or all integrity impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Subsequent System or all availability impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v4.0 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 7 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by 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.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade parse-server to 9.5.0-alpha.10.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
parse-communityparse-server	Affected >=9.3.1-alpha.3 <9.5.0-alpha.10	Fixed in 9.5.0-alpha.10

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

AI-suggested

The most effective mitigation is to upgrade parse-server to version 9.5.0-alpha.10 or later, where the authorization bypass has been fixed. Until upgrading is possible, organizations should consider temporarily enabling graphQLPublicIntrospection if it aligns with their security posture, as this setting disables the vulnerable code path. Additionally, implementing network-level access controls such as IP whitelisting or VPN requirements can restrict exposure of the GraphQL endpoint to trusted users only. Monitoring GraphQL query logs for unusual or nested __type introspection queries can help detect exploitation attempts. Developers should also review custom GraphQL resolvers and authorization logic to ensure no similar bypasses exist. Employing Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules targeting suspicious GraphQL introspection patterns may provide additional protection. Finally, organizations should maintain an inventory of parse-server versions in use and enforce timely patch management.

Description

Parse Server is an open source backend that can be deployed to any infrastructure that can run Node.js. From version 9.3.1-alpha.3 to before version 9.5.0-alpha.10, when graphQLPublicIntrospection is disabled, __type queries nested inside inline fragments (e.g. ... on Query { __type(name:"User") { name } }) bypass the introspection control, allowing unauthenticated users to perform type reconnaissance. __schema introspection is not affected. This issue has been patched in version 9.5.0-alpha.10.

Impact

The primary impact of this vulnerability is unauthorized information disclosure. By bypassing introspection controls, attackers can map the GraphQL schema, learning about available types, fields, and potentially sensitive data structures. This reconnaissance can enable more precise and effective attacks such as injection, privilege escalation, or data exfiltration by exploiting other vulnerabilities or misconfigurations. Although the vulnerability does not directly allow data modification or availability disruption, the gained schema knowledge significantly lowers the attacker's effort and increases the risk of subsequent exploitation. Organizations relying on parse-server for backend services, especially those exposing sensitive or regulated data, face increased risk of targeted attacks. The vulnerability affects any deployment with the vulnerable versions and with graphQLPublicIntrospection disabled, which is a common security hardening practice. The lack of authentication requirement and remote network accessibility further elevate the threat.

CWE-863Incorrect Authorization (opens in a new tab)
Class weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighCWE Top 25 (2025): #17OWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
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.
Architecture and Design
Divide the product into anonymous, normal, privileged, and administrative areas. Reduce the attack surface by carefully mapping roles with data and functionality. Use role-based access control (RBAC) to enforce the roles at the appropriate boundaries.
Architecture and Design
Ensure that access control checks are performed related to the business logic. These checks may be different than the access control checks that are applied to more generic resources such as files, connections, processes, memory, and database records.
Architecture and Design · Libraries or Frameworks
Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.3.8 (opens in a new tab)
V13.4.2 (opens in a new tab)
V7.2.2 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

github.com/parse-community/parse-server/security/advisories/GHSA-q5q9-2rhp-33qw (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

Loading reviews…

Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 14 Mar 2026, 20:00 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-863

Technical details

References

Community reviews

Related threats