VulnerabilityPublished 10 Mar 2026

CVE-2026-30965: parse-server · Incorrect Authorization

Affects parse-serverSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · public detection template (Nuclei) · CVSS 9.9 Critical : upgrade to 9.5.2-alpha.8 or 8.6.21 as a priority.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score

9.9Critical

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

EPSS: 1.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 71% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 9.5.2-alpha.8, 8.6.21

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Requirements: None
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Vulnerable system confidentiality: High
Vulnerable system integrity: High
Vulnerable system availability: None
Subsequent system confidentiality: High
Subsequent system integrity: High
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: High: There is a total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all information within the Vulnerable System being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact. For example, an attacker steals the administrator's password, or private encryption keys of a web server.
Vulnerable system integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the vulnerable system. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the vulnerable system.
Vulnerable system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system confidentiality: High: There is a total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the Subsequent System being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact. For example, an attacker steals the administrator's password, or private encryption keys of a web server.
Subsequent system integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the Subsequent System. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the Subsequent 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 10 Mar 2026
Detectable: evidence found.
nuclei template: Parse Server < 8.6.21 / 9.x < 9.5.2 - Session Token Exfiltration
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 30 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 9.5.2-alpha.8 or 8.6.21; parse-community/parse-server to 8.6.21.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
parse-communityparse-server	Affected >=9.0.0 <9.5.2-alpha.8	Fixed in 9.5.2-alpha.8
parse-communityparse-server	Affected <8.6.21	Fixed in 8.6.21
npmparse-community/parse-server`pkg:npm/parse-community/parse-server`Other threats	Affected <8.6.21	Fixed in 8.6.21

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

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2026-30965, organizations should immediately upgrade parse-server to versions 9.5.2-alpha.8 or later, or 8.6.21 or later, where the vulnerability is fixed. Until upgrades can be applied, restrict access to parse-server endpoints by implementing network-level controls such as IP whitelisting and firewall rules to limit exposure. Review and tighten Class-Level Permissions (CLPs) to minimize the ability of users or unauthenticated actors to create or update objects with relation fields. Implement monitoring and alerting for unusual query patterns involving redirectClassNameForKey parameters or unexpected object relation modifications. Employ session token management best practices, including short token lifetimes and revocation mechanisms, to reduce the window of opportunity for attackers. Conduct thorough security assessments and penetration testing focused on authorization controls in parse-server deployments. Finally, maintain an up-to-date inventory of parse-server instances and ensure all development and production environments are patched promptly.

Description

Parse Server is an open source backend that can be deployed to any infrastructure that can run Node.js. Prior to 9.5.2-alpha.8 and 8.6.21, a vulnerability in Parse Server's query handling allows an authenticated or unauthenticated attacker to exfiltrate session tokens of other users by exploiting the redirectClassNameForKey query parameter. Exfiltrated session tokens can be used to take over user accounts. The vulnerability requires the attacker to be able to create or update an object with a new relation field, which depends on the Class-Level Permissions of at least one class. This vulnerability is fixed in 9.5.2-alpha.8 and 8.6.21.

Impact

The impact of CVE-2026-30965 is severe for organizations using affected versions of parse-server. Successful exploitation leads to session token exfiltration, enabling attackers to hijack user accounts and gain unauthorized access to sensitive data and application functionality. This compromises confidentiality and integrity of user data and can disrupt availability if attackers perform malicious actions under hijacked accounts. Organizations relying on parse-server for backend services, especially those handling sensitive user information or critical business processes, face risks of data breaches, fraud, and reputational damage. The vulnerability requires no privileges or user interaction, increasing the likelihood of automated or large-scale attacks. Given parse-server's use in mobile and web applications globally, the threat surface is broad, potentially impacting startups, enterprises, and service providers. Without timely patching, attackers could leverage this flaw to escalate privileges, bypass access controls, and perform lateral movement within affected environments.

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

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 10 Mar 2026, 21:15 UTC

Public exploits and detectiona Nuclei detection template

WeaknessesCWE-863

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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