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Parse ServerApplication · Parseplatform

CVE-2026-32248

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.6.38 / 9.6.0 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. Prior to 9.6.0-alpha.12 and 8.6.38, an unauthenticated attacker can take over any user account that was created with an authentication provider that does not validate the format of the user identifier (e.g. anonymous authentication). By sending a crafted login request, the attacker can cause the server to perform a pattern-matching query instead of an exact-match lookup, allowing the attacker to match an existing user and obtain a valid session token for that user's account. Both MongoDB and PostgreSQL database backends are affected. Any Parse Server deployment that allows anonymous authentication (enabled by default) is vulnerable. This vulnerability is fixed in 9.6.0-alpha.12 and 8.6.38.

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

In Parse Server versions prior to 9.6.0-alpha.12 and 8.6.38, an unauthenticated attacker can hijack user accounts by sending a crafted login request that causes the server to perform a pattern-matching query (like a regex or wildcard search) instead of an exact-match lookup. This exploits authentication providers that don't validate user identifier formats, such as anonymous authentication, allowing attackers to match existing users and obtain valid session tokens.

MitigationUpgrade Parse Server to version 9.6.0-alpha.12 or 8.6.38 or later. If immediate upgrading is not possible, disable anonymous authentication as a temporary workaround.

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:< 8.6.38>= 9.0.0, < 9.6.0= 9.6.0

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. Check Parse Server version
    Identify the running Parse Server version by examining package.json, the running service, or the server's /parse/serverInfo endpoint if available. Compare against affected ranges: < 8.6.38, >= 9.0.0 to < 9.6.0, or exactly 9.6.0.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of the affected ranges: < 8.6.38, >= 9.0.0 and < 9.6.0, or = 9.6.0.
  2. Verify anonymous authentication is enabled
    Examine the Parse Server configuration file (typically parse-server.json or environment variables) for the 'anonymous' auth adapter or 'enableAnonymousUsers' setting.
    Affected if Anonymous authentication is enabled in the server configuration.
  3. Confirm authentication provider validation
    Review which authentication providers are configured. Check if any providers (particularly anonymous auth) do not perform strict format validation on user identifiers before performing login lookups.
    Affected if Anonymous authentication or another provider that lacks identifier format validation is active.
  4. Assess login query behavior
    Review server logs or network traces during login attempts to observe whether the authentication query uses exact-match or pattern-matching (wildcard/regex) logic.
    Affected if Login queries perform pattern-matching rather than exact-match lookups, allowing wildcard characters to match multiple users.

You are affected if your Parse Server version is vulnerable (less than 8.6.38, between 9.0.0 and 9.6.0 exclusive, or exactly 9.6.0) AND anonymous authentication is enabled on your server.

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 8.6.38 / 9.6.0 or later
Fixed in 8.6.389.6.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Parse Server to version 9.6.0-alpha.12 or 8.6.38 or later. If immediate upgrading is not possible, disable anonymous authentication as a temporary workaround.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Parse Server 8.6.38 (if on 8.x) or 9.6.0-alpha.12/9.6.0+ (if on 9.x)

  1. Check current Parse Server version using `npm list parse-server` or checking package.json
  2. For Parse Server 8.x deployments: upgrade to version 8.6.38 or later by running `npm install [email protected]` or `npm install parse-server@latest`
  3. For Parse Server 9.x deployments: upgrade to version 9.6.0-alpha.12 or later (or the stable 9.6.0 release if available) by running `npm install [email protected]` or `npm install parse-server@latest`
  4. Verify the installed version with `npm list parse-server`
  5. Restart the Parse Server application to load the new version
  6. Test that anonymous authentication still functions correctly after upgrade
  7. Verify the fix by attempting the described attack vector (pattern-matching in login query) to confirm it is no longer vulnerable
Caveat Review release notes for the specific version for any breaking changes; major version upgrades (e.g., 8.x to 9.x) may have breaking changes requiring code adjustments

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
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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-2026-32248 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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