Summary
Workarounds
No workaround. Upgrade to a patched version.
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.
Untrusted input alters a database query, allowing the attacker to read or modify data the query was not intended to access. Typical impact: data disclosure or modification.
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
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-33539? CVE-2026-33539 is a high-severity SQL injection vulnerability in parse-server (npm), affecting versions >= 9.0.0, < 9.6.0-alpha.53. It is fixed in 9.6.0-alpha.53, 8.6.59. Untrusted input alters a database query, allowing the attacker to read or modify data the query was not intended to access.
- Which versions of parse-server are affected by CVE-2026-33539? parse-server (npm) versions >= 9.0.0, < 9.6.0-alpha.53 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-33539? Yes. CVE-2026-33539 is fixed in 9.6.0-alpha.53, 8.6.59. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-33539 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-33539 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-2026-33539 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-2026-33539?
- Upgrade
parse-serverto 9.6.0-alpha.53 or later - Upgrade
parse-serverto 8.6.59 or later
- Upgrade