CVE-2026-33539: Parse server SQL Injection Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-p2w6-rmh7-w8q3
Share
CWE-89
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-33539 is a HIGH sql injection vulnerability (CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')) affecting Parse server libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves parse server has sql injection through aggregate and distinct field names in postgresql adapter. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 9.6.0-alpha.53, 8.6.59.

CVE-2026-33539 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-33539
GHSA Identifier GHSA-p2w6-rmh7-w8q3
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
Affected Product Parse server
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-33539

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: 9.6.0-alpha.53 
npm install parse-server@9.6.0-alpha.53
parse-server fixed: 8.6.59 
npm install parse-server@8.6.59
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-2026-33539, 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 9.6.0-alpha.53), 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-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an sql command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended sql command when it is sent to a downstream component. without sufficient removal or quoting of sql syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated sql query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as sql instead of ordinary user data. 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

### Impact An attacker with master key access can execute arbitrary SQL statements on the PostgreSQL database by injecting SQL metacharacters into field name parameters of the aggregate `$group` pipeline stage or the `distinct` operation. This allows privilege escalation from Parse Server application-level administrator to PostgreSQL database-level access. Only Parse Server deployments using PostgreSQL are affected. MongoDB deployments are not affected. ### Patches Field names in the aggregate `$group._id` object values and `distinct` dot-notation parameters are now validated to only contain alphanumeric characters and underscores, preventing SQL injection via the `:raw` interpolation used in the PostgreSQL storage adapter. ### Workarounds No workaround. Upgrade to a patched version.

CVE-2026-33539 Affected Parse server Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
9.6.0-alpha.538.6.59
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
parse-server
npm/parse-server
npm
≥ 9.0.0
< 9.6.0-alpha.53
9.6.0-alpha.53
parse-server
npm/parse-server
npm
< 8.6.59
8.6.59

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/security/advisories/GHSA-p2w6-rmh7-w8q3
NVD — CVE-2026-33539 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-33539
Parse server Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/pull/10272
Parse server Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/pull/10273
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/commit/03249f9bf5b8783c8b848f84dab791ff0b761b8c
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/commit/bdddab5f8b61a40cb8fc62dd895887bdd2f3838e
Parse server Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-33539?
CVE-2026-33539 is a security vulnerability in Parse server involving Parse Server has SQL Injection through aggregate and distinct field names in PostgreSQL adapter under CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection').
Which Parse server versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 9.6.0-alpha.53, 8.6.59 across affected packages: parse-server.
What version fixes CVE-2026-33539?
Upgrading to 9.6.0-alpha.53, 8.6.59 (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 9.6.0-alpha.53, 8.6.59. Upgrade your dependency to 9.6.0-alpha.53, 8.6.59 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-33539?
CVE-2026-33539 is classified under CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an SQL command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended SQL command when it is sent to a downstream component. Without sufficient removal or quoting of SQL syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated SQL query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as SQL instead of ordinary user data.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-33539?
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-p2w6-rmh7-w8q3",
  "modified" : "2026-03-27T21:54:05Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-24T19:12:06Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-33539" ],
  "summary" : "Parse Server has SQL Injection through aggregate and distinct field names in PostgreSQL adapter",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nAn attacker with master key access can execute arbitrary SQL statements on the PostgreSQL database by injecting SQL metacharacters into field name parameters of the aggregate `$group` pipeline stage or the `distinct` operation. This allows privilege escalation from Parse Server application-level administrator to PostgreSQL database-level access.\n\nOnly Parse Server deployments using PostgreSQL are affected. MongoDB deployments are not affected.\n\n### Patches\n\nField names in the aggregate `$group._id` object values and `distinct` dot-notation parameters are now validated to only contain alphanumeric characters and underscores, preventing SQL injection via the `:raw` interpolation used in the PostgreSQL storage adapter.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nNo workaround. Upgrade to a patched version.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "parse-server"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "9.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "9.6.0-alpha.53"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "parse-server"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "8.6.59"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/security/advisories/GHSA-p2w6-rmh7-w8q3"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-33539"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/pull/10272"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/pull/10273"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/commit/03249f9bf5b8783c8b848f84dab791ff0b761b8c"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/commit/bdddab5f8b61a40cb8fc62dd895887bdd2f3838e"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-89" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-24T19:12:06Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-03-24T19:16:54Z"
  }
}