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GHSA-p6c5-mjgj-m4rm

Duplicate Advisory: Parse Server vulnerable to stored XSS via malformed Content-Type bypassing file upload extension blocklist

Low Withdrawn Oct 29, 2026 npm
Severity
2.1 / 10
Low · CVSS 4.0
Exploit chance (EPSS)
—
No score published
Known exploited
No
Not in CISA's catalog
Weakness
CWE-434 Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type
Fix
9.10.0-alpha.2
Upgrade parse-server to this version or later

Description

Duplicate Advisory

This advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-r899-h629-j84r. This link is maintained to preserve external references.

Original Description

Parse Server is affected by a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in versions >= 9.0.0, < 9.10.0-alpha.2 and <= 8.6.83. When an uploaded file's extension is not recognized by the mime package, Parse Server preserves the client-supplied Content-Type. A malformed Content-Type that is not a valid type/subtype media type (e.g., 'image', 'image/', or 'image//svg+xml') bypasses the fileUpload.fileExtensions blocklist and is stored unchanged. On storage adapters that persist and serve the uploaded Content-Type (such as Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, or Azure Blob Storage), a browser cannot parse the malformed value and falls back to MIME-sniffing; a file whose body begins with HTML is rendered as HTML, executing embedded script in the application's origin against other users who open the file URL. The default GridFS storage adapter is not affected. Fixed in 9.10.0-alpha.2 and 8.6.84.

Affected versions

npm

PackageVulnerableFixed in
parse-server
>= 9.0.0, < 9.10.0-alpha.2
9.10.0-alpha.2
parse-server
<= 8.6.83
No fix yet
parse-server
>= 9.0.0
No fix yet
parse-server
<= 8.6.83
No fix yet

How to fix

Move to the fixed version or later with your package manager, update the lockfile, and run your tests. If the package only arrives through another dependency, upgrade that dependency first. If none of its releases pulls a fixed version yet, force the version with your package manager's override.

parse-server npm → 9.10.0-alpha.2

npm
npm install parse-server@9.10.0-alpha.2
yarn
yarn add parse-server@9.10.0-alpha.2
pnpm
pnpm add parse-server@9.10.0-alpha.2

Severity breakdown

CVSS 4.0 2.1

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:P/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Attack requirements
Present
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
Passive
Confidentiality (vulnerable system)
None
Integrity (vulnerable system)
Low
Availability (vulnerable system)
None
Confidentiality (subsequent systems)
Low
Integrity (subsequent systems)
Low
Availability (subsequent systems)
None
Exploit maturity
Not defined
Scope
X

Weakness

CWE-434: Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type

The product allows the upload or transfer of dangerous file types that are automatically processed within its environment.

How to prevent it
  • Architecture and Design: Generate a new, unique filename for an uploaded file instead of using the user-supplied filename, so that no external input is used at all.[REF-422] [REF-423]
  • Architecture and Design: When the set of acceptable objects, such as filenames or URLs, is limited or known, create a mapping from a set of fixed input values (such as numeric IDs) to the actual filenames or URLs, and reject all other inputs.
  • Architecture and Design: Consider storing the uploaded files outside of the web document root entirely. Then, use other mechanisms to deliver the files dynamically. [REF-423]
  • Implementation: Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does. When performing input validation, consider all potentially relevant properties, including length, type of input, the full range of acceptable values, missing or extra inputs, syntax, consistency across related fields, and conformance to business rules. As an example of business rule logic, "boat" may be syntactically valid because it only contains alphanumeric characters, but it is not valid if the input is only expected to contain colors such as "red" or "blue." Do not rely exclusively on looking for malicious or malformed inputs. This is likely to miss at least one undesirable input, especially if the code's environment changes. This can give attackers enough room to bypass the intended validation. However, denylists can be useful for detecting potential attacks or determining which inputs are so malformed that they should be rejected outright. For example, limiting filenames to alphanumeric characters can help to restrict the introduction of unintended file extensions.
  • Architecture and Design: Define a very limited set of allowable extensions and only generate filenames that end in these extensions. Consider the possibility of XSS (CWE-79) before allowing .html or .htm file types.
  • Implementation: Ensure that only one extension is used in the filename. Some web servers, including some versions of Apache, may process files based on inner extensions so that "filename.php.gif" is fed to the PHP interpreter.[REF-422] [REF-423]
  • Implementation: When running on a web server that supports case-insensitive filenames, perform case-insensitive evaluations of the extensions that are provided.
  • Architecture and Design: For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
  • Implementation: Do not rely exclusively on sanity checks of file contents to ensure that the file is of the expected type and size. It may be possible for an attacker to hide code in some file segments that will still be executed by the server. For example, GIF images may contain a free-form comments field.
  • Implementation: Do not rely exclusively on the MIME content type or filename attribute when determining how to render a file. Validating the MIME content type and ensuring that it matches the extension is only a partial solution.
  • Architecture and Design, Operation: Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks [REF-76]. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment. For example, database applications rarely need to run as the database administrator, especially in day-to-day operations.
  • Architecture and Design, Operation: Run the code in a "jail" or similar sandbox environment that enforces strict boundaries between the process and the operating system. This may effectively restrict which files can be accessed in a particular directory or which commands can be executed by the software. OS-level examples include the Unix chroot jail, AppArmor, and SELinux. In general, managed code may provide some protection. For example, java.io.FilePermission in the Java SecurityManager allows the software to specify restrictions on file operations. This may not be a feasible solution, and it only limits the impact to the operating system; the rest of the application may still be subject to compromise. Be careful to avoid CWE-243 and other weaknesses related to jails.

References

Timeline

  1. Published
  2. Withdrawn
  3. Last updated by the source
AdvisorySeverityWhy it's related
GHSA-r899-h629-j84r
Parse Server vulnerable to stored XSS via malformed Content-Type bypassing file upload extension blocklist
Low Also affects parse-server
GHSA-97pr-9hgg-3p8r
parse-server: LiveQuery discloses object data to a subscriber across an ACL read-access change
Low Also affects parse-server
GHSA-v8x7-r927-cc93
parse-server: Stored XSS via non-standard file extension bypassing file upload extension blocklist
Low Also affects parse-server
GHSA-cgxm-vr2f-6fj8
parse-server: Denial of service via exponential-time processing of deeply nested query operators
High Also affects parse-server
GHSA-wmwx-jr2p-4j4r
parse-server: Relation `$relatedTo` query bypasses `protectedFields` and owning-object ACL
Medium Also affects parse-server
GHSA-75v4-m273-5j49
parse-server: Endpoints `/login` and `/verifyPassword` disclose MFA secrets and protected fields when `_User` get is denied
Medium Also affects parse-server
GHSA-7wqv-xjf3-x35v
parse-server: Stored XSS via trailing-dot filename bypassing file upload extension blocklist
Low Also affects parse-server
GHSA-p84r-h6rx-f2xr
parse-server: Server option routeAllowList is bypassable through batch sub-requests
Medium Also affects parse-server
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