Parse Server vulnerable to SQL injection via `Increment` operation on nested object field in PostgreSQLGHSA-q3vj-96h2-gwvg
GHSA-q3vj-96h2-gwvg is a SQL Injection vulnerability in parse-server. A fix is available for parse-server — see the affected versions and patch details below.
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-q3vj-96h2-gwvg.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
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
A SQL injection vulnerability exists in the PostgreSQL storage adapter when processing Increment operations on nested object fields using dot notation (e.g., stats.counter). The amount value is interpolated directly into the SQL query without parameterization or type validation. An attacker who can send write requests to the Parse Server REST API can inject arbitrary SQL subqueries to read any data from the database, bypassing CLPs and ACLs.
MongoDB deployments are not affected.
Patches
The fix adds type validation to reject non-number values and parameterizes the value in the SQL query instead of interpolating it.
Workarounds
There is no known workaround.
References
- GitHub security advisory: https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/security/advisories/GHSA-q3vj-96h2-gwvg
- Fix Parse Server 9: https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/releases/tag/9.6.0-alpha.3
- Fix Parse Server 8: https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/releases/tag/8.6.29
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | parse-server | ≥ 9.0.0-alpha.1&&< 9.6.0-alpha.3 | 9.6.0-alpha.3npm install parse-server@9.6.0-alpha.3 |
| 📦npm | parse-server | all versions | 8.6.29npm install parse-server@8.6.29 |
Affected Products
parse-serverparseplatformDetection & 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 9.6.0-alpha.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-q3vj-96h2-gwvg is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Until you can upgrade, make sure every query built from user input uses parameterised statements or a prepared-statement API rather than string concatenation, and reduce the database account's privileges so an injected query cannot read or alter data beyond what the feature needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-q3vj-96h2-gwvg in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.