CVE-2020-26288: Parse server Parse Server Stores Password Vulnerability

LOW
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4w46-w44m-3jq3
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CVSS 7.7
CWE-312
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-26288 is a LOW (CVSS 7.7) parse server stores password vulnerability (CWE-312: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information) affecting Parse server libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves parse server stores password in plain text. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.5.0.

CVE-2020-26288 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-26288
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4w46-w44m-3jq3
Severity LOW
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.7
CWE Classification CWE-312: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information
Affected Product Parse server
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.7

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2020-26288

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Parse server dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

parse-server fixed: 4.5.0 
npm install parse-server@4.5.0
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls parse-server

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2020-26288, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls parse-server

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Parse server in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.5.0), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls parse-server command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-312: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information, where the product stores sensitive information in cleartext within a resource that might be accessible to another control sphere. In Parse server, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Parse Server is an open source backend that can be deployed to any infrastructure that can run Node.js. In Parse Server before version 4.5.0, user passwords involved in LDAP authentication are stored in cleartext. This is fixed in version 4.5.0 by stripping password after authentication to prevent cleartext password storage.

CVE-2020-26288 Affected Parse server Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.5.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
parse-server
npm/parse-server
npm
< 4.5.0
4.5.0

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/security/advisories/GHSA-4w46-w44m-3jq3
NVD — CVE-2020-26288 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-26288
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/commit/da905a357d062ab4fea727a21eac231acc2ed92a
Parse server Release RELEASE
https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/releases/tag/4.5.0
www.npmjs.com/advisories/1593 WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/1593
www.npmjs.com/package/parse-serve... WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/package/parse-server

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-26288?
CVE-2020-26288 is a security vulnerability in Parse server involving Parse Server stores password in plain text under CWE-312: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information.
Which Parse server versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.5.0 across affected packages: parse-server.
What version fixes CVE-2020-26288?
Upgrading to 4.5.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is parse-server affected?
Yes, parse-server is affected in releases prior to 4.5.0. Upgrade your dependency to 4.5.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-26288?
CVE-2020-26288 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.7 (LOW) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-26288?
CVE-2020-26288 is classified under CWE-312: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information (The product stores sensitive information in cleartext within a resource that might be accessible to another control sphere.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2020-26288?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls parse-server'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-4w46-w44m-3jq3",
  "modified" : "2021-01-07T22:32:25Z",
  "published" : "2020-12-28T16:33:17Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-26288" ],
  "summary" : "Parse Server stores password in plain text",
  "details" : "Parse Server is an open source backend that can be deployed to any infrastructure that can run Node.js.\nIn Parse Server before version 4.5.0, user passwords involved in LDAP authentication are stored in cleartext.\nThis is fixed in version 4.5.0 by stripping password after authentication to prevent cleartext password storage.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "parse-server"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.5.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/security/advisories/GHSA-4w46-w44m-3jq3"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-26288"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/commit/da905a357d062ab4fea727a21eac231acc2ed92a"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/releases/tag/4.5.0"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/advisories/1593"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/package/parse-server"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-312" ],
    "severity" : "LOW",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-12-28T16:32:50Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-12-30T20:15:00Z"
  }
}