GHSA-4q3h-vp4r-prv2 — parse-server
Fix: parse-community/parse-server@9b94083GHSA-4q3h-vp4r-prv2 is a Broken Cryptographic Algorithm vulnerability in parse-server. A fix is available for parse-server — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Parse Server: Account takeover via JWT algorithm confusion in Google auth adapter
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- 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 GHSA-4q3h-vp4r-prv2.
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
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
parse-servernpmDescription
Impact
An unauthenticated attacker can forge a Google authentication token with alg: "none" to log in as any user linked to a Google account, without knowing their credentials. All deployments with Google authentication enabled are affected.
Patches
The fix hardcodes the expected RS256 algorithm instead of trusting the JWT header, and replaces the Google adapter's custom key fetcher with jwks-rsa which rejects unknown key IDs.
Workarounds
Disable Google authentication until you can upgrade.
References
- GitHub advisory: https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/security/advisories/GHSA-4q3h-vp4r-prv2
- Fixed in Parse Server 9.3.1-alpha.4: https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/releases/tag/9.3.1-alpha.4
- Fixed in Parse Server 8.6.3: https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/releases/tag/8.6.3
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | parse-server | ≥ 9.0.0&&< 9.3.1-alpha.4 | 9.3.1-alpha.4npm install parse-server@9.3.1-alpha.4 |
| 📦npm | parse-server | all versions | 8.6.3npm install parse-server@8.6.3 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for parse-server, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update parse-server to 9.3.1-alpha.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-4q3h-vp4r-prv2 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 GHSA-4q3h-vp4r-prv2 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-4q3h-vp4r-prv2. 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-4q3h-vp4r-prv2 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-4q3h-vp4r-prv2 across npm dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.