CVE-2022-39231

Workarounds

No known workarounds.

References

• GitHub advisory GHSA-r657-33vp-gp22

Validation of the authentication adapter app ID for Facebook and Spotify may be circumvented.

This fixes a vulnerability that affects configurations which allow users to authenticate using the Parse Server authentication adapter for Facebook or Spotify and where the server-side authentication adapter configuration appIds is set as a string (e.g. abc) instead of an array of strings (e.g. ["abc"]). The vulnerability makes it possible to authenticate requests which are coming from a Facebook or Spotify app with a different app ID than the one specified in the appIds configuration.

Both adapters still validate the access token with the respective authentication provider. An app ID is automatically assigned by the authentication provider. For this vulnerability to be exploited, an attacker would have to be assigned an app ID by the authentication provider which is a sub-set of the server-side configured app ID.

The documentation did not explicitly specify that the parameter appIds must be set as an array of strings and setting a string also worked. Therefore, there is a possibility that there are deployments where appIds is set as a string, making them vulnerable.

The application does not adequately verify the identity of a user, device, or process before granting access. Typical impact: unauthorized access to functions or data reserved for authenticated parties.

CVE-2022-39231 has a CVSS score of 3.7 (Low). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (4.10.16, 5.2.7); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

The fix makes Parse Server check the type of the value set for appIds and throws an error if the value is not an array.

1. What is CVE-2022-39231? CVE-2022-39231 is a low-severity improper authentication vulnerability in parse-server (npm), affecting versions < 4.10.16. It is fixed in 4.10.16, 5.2.7. The application does not adequately verify the identity of a user, device, or process before granting access.
2. How severe is CVE-2022-39231? CVE-2022-39231 has a CVSS score of 3.7 (Low). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of parse-server are affected by CVE-2022-39231? parse-server (npm) versions < 4.10.16 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2022-39231? Yes. CVE-2022-39231 is fixed in 4.10.16, 5.2.7. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2022-39231 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-39231 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2022-39231 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2022-39231?
   • Upgrade parse-server to 4.10.16 or later
   • Upgrade parse-server to 5.2.7 or later

Other vulnerabilities in parse-server