CVE-2023-32689

References

• https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/security/advisories/GHSA-9prm-jqwx-45x9
• https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/pull/8538 (Parse Server 6)
• https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/pull/8537 (Parse Server 5)

Phishing attack vulnerability by uploading malicious files. A malicious user could upload a HTML file to Parse Server via its public API. That HTML file would then be accessible at the internet domain at which Parse Server is hosted. The URL of the the uploaded HTML could be shared for phishing attacks. The HTML page may seem legitimate because it is served under the internet domain where Parse Server is hosted, which may be the same as a company's official website domain.

An additional security issue arises when the Parse JavaScript SDK is used. The SDK stores sessions in the internet browser's local storage, which usually restricts data access depending on the internet domain. A malicious HTML file could contain a script that retrieves the user's session token from local storage and then share it with the attacker.

The application accepts file uploads without adequately restricting the file type or content. Typical impact: remote code execution if the uploaded file can be served and executed on the server.

CVE-2023-32689 has a CVSS score of 6.3 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low 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 (5.4.4, 6.1.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

The fix adds a new Parse Server option fileUpload.fileExtensions to restrict file upload on Parse Server by file extension. It is recommended to restrict file upload for HTML file extensions, which this fix disables by default. If an app requires upload of files with HTML file extensions, the option can be set to ['.*'] or another custom value to override the default.

1. What is CVE-2023-32689? CVE-2023-32689 is a medium-severity unrestricted upload of dangerous file types vulnerability in parse-server (npm), affecting versions < 5.4.4. It is fixed in 5.4.4, 6.1.1. The application accepts file uploads without adequately restricting the file type or content.
2. How severe is CVE-2023-32689? CVE-2023-32689 has a CVSS score of 6.3 (Medium). 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-2023-32689? parse-server (npm) versions < 5.4.4 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2023-32689? Yes. CVE-2023-32689 is fixed in 5.4.4, 6.1.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2023-32689 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-32689 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-2023-32689 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-2023-32689?
   • Upgrade parse-server to 5.4.4 or later
   • Upgrade parse-server to 6.1.1 or later

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