What is CVE-2026-33042?

CVE-2026-33042 is a medium-severity improper authentication vulnerability in parse-server (npm), affecting versions >= 9.0.0, < 9.6.0-alpha.29. It is fixed in 9.6.0-alpha.29, 8.6.49. The application does not adequately verify the identity of a user, device, or process before granting access.

Which versions of parse-server are affected by CVE-2026-33042?

parse-server (npm) versions >= 9.0.0, < 9.6.0-alpha.29 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-33042?

Yes. CVE-2026-33042 is fixed in 9.6.0-alpha.29, 8.6.49. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2026-33042 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2026-33042 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.

What actually determines whether CVE-2026-33042 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-2026-33042?

Upgrade: parse-server to 9.6.0-alpha.29 or later, parse-server to 8.6.49 or later.

CVE-2026-33042 in parse-server | Intelligent Application Security

Q: Which versions of parse-server are affected by CVE-2026-33042?

parse-server (npm) versions >= 9.0.0, < 9.6.0-alpha.29 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2026-33042?

Yes. CVE-2026-33042 is fixed in 9.6.0-alpha.29, 8.6.49. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2026-33042 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2026-33042 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.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2026-33042 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.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2026-33042?

Upgrade: parse-server to 9.6.0-alpha.29 or later, parse-server to 8.6.49 or later.

Summary

Workarounds

Use a Cloud Code beforeSave trigger on the _User class to reject signups where authData is empty and no username/password is provided.

Impact

A user can sign up without providing credentials by sending an empty authData object, bypassing the username and password requirement. This allows the creation of authenticated sessions without proper credentials, even when anonymous users are disabled.

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.

Affected versions

parse-server (>= 9.0.0, < 9.6.0-alpha.29) parse-server (< 8.6.49)

Security releases

parse-server → 9.6.0-alpha.29 (npm) parse-server → 8.6.49 (npm)

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.

See it in your environment

Remediation advice

The fix ensures that empty or non-actionable authData is treated the same as absent authData for the purpose of credential validation on new user creation. Username and password are now required when no valid auth provider data is present.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-33042? CVE-2026-33042 is a medium-severity improper authentication vulnerability in parse-server (npm), affecting versions >= 9.0.0, < 9.6.0-alpha.29. It is fixed in 9.6.0-alpha.29, 8.6.49. The application does not adequately verify the identity of a user, device, or process before granting access.
Which versions of parse-server are affected by CVE-2026-33042? parse-server (npm) versions >= 9.0.0, < 9.6.0-alpha.29 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-33042? Yes. CVE-2026-33042 is fixed in 9.6.0-alpha.29, 8.6.49. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2026-33042 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-33042 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-2026-33042 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-2026-33042?
- Upgrade parse-server to 9.6.0-alpha.29 or later
- Upgrade parse-server to 8.6.49 or later

Other vulnerabilities in parse-server

CVE-IDSeverityPackage summary

GHSA-97PR-9HGG-3P8RLowparse-server: parse-server: LiveQuery discloses object data to a subscriber across an ACL read-access change CVE-2026-55778Lowparse-server: parse-server: Stored XSS via non-standard file extension bypassing file upload extension blocklist CVE-2026-53726Mediumparse-server: parse-server: Relation `$relatedTo` query bypasses `protectedFields` and owning-object ACL CVE-2026-53725Mediumparse-server: parse-server: Endpoints `/login` and `/verifyPassword` disclose MFA secrets and protected fields…CVE-2026-53724Lowparse-server: parse-server: Stored XSS via trailing-dot filename bypassing file upload extension blocklist