GHSA-4hf6-3x24-c9m8
Parse Server's MFA recovery codes not consumed after use
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.
Blast Radius
Weekly download volume for affected packages — a proxy for how broadly this vulnerability is deployed.
parse-servernpmDescription
Impact
When multi-factor authentication (MFA) via TOTP is enabled for a user account, Parse Server generates two single-use recovery codes. These codes are intended as a fallback when the user cannot provide a TOTP token. However, recovery codes are not consumed after use, allowing the same recovery code to be used an unlimited number of times. This defeats the single-use design of recovery codes and weakens the security of MFA-protected accounts.
An attacker who obtains a single recovery code can repeatedly authenticate as the affected user without the code ever being invalidated.
Patches
The fix ensures that each recovery code is removed from the stored recovery code list after a successful login.
Workarounds
There is no known workaround.
References
- GitHub security advisory: https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/security/advisories/GHSA-4hf6-3x24-c9m8
- Fix Parse Server 9: https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/releases/tag/9.6.0-alpha.7
- Fix Parse Server 8: https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/releases/tag/8.6.33
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | parse-server | ≥ 9.0.0-alpha.1&&< 9.6.0-alpha.7 | 9.6.0-alpha.7 |
| 📦npm | parse-server | all versions | 8.6.33 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for parse-server. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update parse-server to 9.6.0-alpha.7 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-4hf6-3x24-c9m8 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 pinpoints whether GHSA-4hf6-3x24-c9m8 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-4hf6-3x24-c9m8. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-4hf6-3x24-c9m8 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-4hf6-3x24-c9m8 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.