GHSA-q342-9w2p-57fp
Parse Server has denylist `requestKeywordDenylist` keyword scan bypass through nested object placement
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
The requestKeywordDenylist security control can be bypassed by placing any nested object or array before a prohibited keyword in the request payload. This is caused by a logic bug that stops scanning sibling keys after encountering the first nested value. Any custom requestKeywordDenylist entries configured by the developer are equally by-passable using the same technique.
All Parse Server deployments are affected. The requestKeywordDenylist is enabled by default.
Patches
The fix replaces the recursive object scanner with an iterative stack-based traversal that processes all nested values without prematurely exiting the scan loop. This also eliminates a potential stack overflow on deeply nested payloads.
Workarounds
Use a Cloud Code beforeSave trigger to validate incoming data for prohibited keywords across all classes.
References
- GitHub security advisory: https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/security/advisories/GHSA-q342-9w2p-57fp
- Fix Parse Server 9: https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/releases/tag/9.5.1-alpha.1
- Fix Parse Server 8: https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/releases/tag/8.6.12
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | parse-server | all versions | 8.6.12 |
| 📦npm | parse-server | ≥ 9.0.0-alpha.1&&< 9.5.1-alpha.1 | 9.5.1-alpha.1 |
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 8.6.12 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-q342-9w2p-57fp 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-q342-9w2p-57fp 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-q342-9w2p-57fp. 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-q342-9w2p-57fp in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-q342-9w2p-57fp across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.