dbcve.org
Parse ServerApplication · Parseplatform

CVE-2022-41879

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-11-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.10.20 / 5.3.3 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Parse Server is an open source backend that can be deployed to any infrastructure that can run Node.js. In versions prior to 5.3.3 or 4.10.20, a compromised Parse Server Cloud Code Webhook target endpoint allows an attacker to use prototype pollution to bypass the Parse Server `requestKeywordDenylist` option. This issue has been patched in versions 5.3.3 and 4.10.20. There are no known workarounds.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Parse Server versions before 5.3.3 and 4.10.20 contain a prototype pollution vulnerability in the Cloud Code Webhook feature. A compromised webhook target endpoint allows attackers to pollute JavaScript prototypes and bypass the requestKeywordDenylist security control, potentially enabling injection attacks.

MitigationUpgrade Parse Server to version 5.3.3 or 4.10.20 or later. There are no available workarounds; immediate patching is required given the critical CVSS score and lack of alternative mitigations.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Parse ServerApplication
Affected:< 4.10.20>= 5.0.0, < 5.3.3

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Parse Server version
    Run `npm list parse-server` or check package.json for the parse-server dependency version
    Affected if Version is < 4.10.20 OR >= 5.0.0 and < 5.3.3
  2. Confirm Cloud Code Webhooks are configured
    Check your Parse Server configuration for webhook definitions in cloud code files (cloud/main.js) or server config for webhookURL/settings
    Affected if Cloud Code Webhooks are defined and pointing to external endpoints
  3. Verify requestKeywordDenylist is in use
    Check Parse Server config for requestKeywordDenylist setting, typically in server configuration or environment variables
    Affected if requestKeywordDenylist is configured as a security control

You are affected if your Parse Server version falls in the vulnerable range AND Cloud Code Webhooks are configured with an external endpoint.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.10.20 / 5.3.3 or later
Fixed in 4.10.205.3.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Parse Server to version 5.3.3 or 4.10.20 or later. There are no available workarounds; immediate patching is required given the critical CVSS score and lack of alternative mitigations.

Recommended fix High confidence

Parse Server 4.10.20 (for 4.x branch) or 5.3.3 (for 5.x branch)

  1. Identify current Parse Server version by checking package.json or running 'npm list parse-server'
  2. If running a 4.x version (e.g., 4.10.0-4.10.19), upgrade to version 4.10.20 or later using 'npm install [email protected]'
  3. If running a 5.x version (e.g., 5.0.0-5.3.2), upgrade to version 5.3.3 or later using 'npm install [email protected]'
  4. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the installed version
  5. Restart Parse Server to apply the new version
  6. Test that the requestKeywordDenylist option functions correctly after upgrade

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Parse Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,280
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,648.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-41879 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-41879 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data