CVE-2026-31840
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 · uneditedParse Server is an open source backend that can be deployed to any infrastructure that can run Node.js. Prior to 9.6.0-alpha.2 and 8.6.28, an attacker can use a dot-notation field name in combination with the sort query parameter to inject SQL into the PostgreSQL database through an improper escaping of sub-field values in dot-notation queries. The vulnerability may also affect queries that use dot-notation field names with the distinct and where query parameters. This vulnerability only affects deployments using a PostgreSQL database. This vulnerability is fixed in 9.6.0-alpha.2 and 8.6.28.
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 confidenceParse Server prior to 8.6.28 and 9.6.0-alpha.2 contains a SQL injection vulnerability in PostgreSQL deployments. Attackers can inject SQL through dot-notation field names (e.g., user.name) when used with sort, distinct, or where query parameters due to improper escaping of sub-field values.
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< 8.6.28>= 9.0.0, < 9.6.0= 9.6.0CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine installed Parse Server versionCheck package.json in the Parse Server installation directory, or query the Parse Server health/status API endpoint (typically GET /parse/serverHealth or check the version in the installationAffected if version is less than 8.6.28, OR version is 9.0.0 through 9.6.0 (including 9.6.0 itself)
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Identify the database adapter in useExamine the Parse Server configuration file (server.config or environment variables such as DATABASE_URI, or the parse-server.json config) to determine which database adapter is configuredAffected if the configured database is PostgreSQL (parse-server-pg-adapter or postgresql:// URI)
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Review API query logs for dot-notation usageExamine server access logs or query logs for incoming requests containing dot-notation in query parameters, specifically look for patterns like ?where={"user.name":...} or ?sort={"user.name":...} or ?distinct=user.nameAffected if PostgreSQL is in use AND queries with dot-notation (e.g., field.subfield) are present in sort, distinct, or where parameters
You are affected if your Parse Server version is below 8.6.28 (or between 9.0.0 and 9.6.0 inclusive), you are using PostgreSQL as your database, and your application accepts dot-notation field names in sort, distinct, or where query parameters.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped8.6.289.6.0
Upgrade Parse Server to version 8.6.28 or 9.6.0-alpha.2 or later. Until patched, restrict or validate query parameter input, particularly dot-notation field names with sort, distinct, and where parameters in PostgreSQL-backed deployments.
Parse Server 8.6.28 (for 8.x users) or 9.6.0-alpha.2/later (for 9.x users)
- 1. Identify your current Parse Server version using `npm list parse-server` or checking your package.json
- 2. For Parse Server 8.x deployments: upgrade to version 8.6.28 or later by running `npm install [email protected]`
- 3. For Parse Server 9.x deployments (including 9.6.0): upgrade to version 9.6.0-alpha.2 or later (or the next stable release after 9.6.0 that includes the fix) by running `npm install [email protected]` or a later version
- 4. After upgrading, test your application thoroughly, especially any queries using dot-notation field names with sort, distinct, or where parameters
- 5. Verify the fix by confirming the Parse Server version matches the fixed release
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-31840 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-31840 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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