Summary
Workarounds
Implementing middleware to block explain queries from non-master-key requests, or monitor and alert on explain query usage in production environments.
Impact
The MongoDB explain() method provides detailed information about query execution plans, including index usage, collection scanning behavior, and performance metrics. Parse Server permits any client to execute explain queries without requiring the master key. This exposes:
- Database schema structure and field names
- Index configurations and query optimization details
- Query execution statistics and performance metrics
- Potential attack vectors for database performance exploitation
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
A new databaseOptions.allowPublicExplain configuration option has been introduced that allows to restrict explain queries to the master key. The option defaults to true for now to avoid a breaking change in production systems that depends on public explain availability. In addition, a security warning is logged when the option is not explicitly set, or set to true. In a future major release of Parse Server, the default will change to false.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2025-64502? CVE-2025-64502 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in parse-server (npm), affecting versions < 8.5.0-alpha.5. It is fixed in 8.5.0-alpha.5.
- Which versions of parse-server are affected by CVE-2025-64502? parse-server (npm) versions < 8.5.0-alpha.5 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2025-64502? Yes. CVE-2025-64502 is fixed in 8.5.0-alpha.5. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2025-64502 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-64502 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
- What actually determines whether CVE-2025-64502 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.
- How do I fix CVE-2025-64502? Upgrade
parse-serverto 8.5.0-alpha.5 or later.