CVE-2023-32689 — parse
Fix: parse-community/parse-server#8537CVE-2023-32689 is a Unrestricted File Upload vulnerability in parse. A fix is available for parse — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Parse Server vulnerable to phishing attack vulnerability that involves uploading malicious HTML file
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-32689.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Real-World Exposure
parseReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Bitnami packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Parse Server is an open source backend that can be deployed to any infrastructure that can run Node.js. Versions prior to 5.4.4 and 6.1.1 are vulnerable to a phishing attack vulnerability that involves a user uploading malicious files. A malicious user could upload an HTML file to Parse Server via its public API. That HTML file would then be accessible at the internet domain at which Parse Server is hosted. The URL of the the uploaded HTML could be shared for phishing attacks. The HTML page may seem legitimate because it is served under the internet domain where Parse Server is hosted, which may be the same as a company's official website domain.
An additional security issue arises when the Parse JavaScript SDK is used. The SDK stores sessions in the internet browser's local storage, which usually restricts data access depending on the internet domain. A malicious HTML file could contain a script that retrieves the user's session token from local storage and then share it with the attacker.
The fix included in versions 5.4.4 and 6.1.1 adds a new Parse Server option fileUpload.fileExtensions to restrict file upload on Parse Server by file extension. It is recommended to restrict file upload for HTML file extensions, which this fix disables by default. If an app requires upload of files with HTML file extensions, the option can be set to ['.*'] or another custom value to override the default.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦Bitnami | parse | ≥ 6.0.0&&< 5.4.4 | 5.4.4 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for parse, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update parse to 5.4.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-32689 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2023-32689 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-32689. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2023-32689 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-32689 across Bitnami dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.