Parse Server vulnerable to remote code execution via MongoDB BSON parser through prototype pollution

Description

Impact

An attacker can use this prototype pollution sink to trigger a remote code execution through the MongoDB BSON parser.

Patches

Prevent prototype pollution in MongoDB database adapter.

Workarounds

Disable remote code execution through the MongoDB BSON parser.

Credits

  • Discovered by hir0ot working with Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative
  • Fixed by dbythy
  • Reviewed by mtrezza

References

  • https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/security/advisories/GHSA-462x-c3jw-7vr6
  • https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-prm5-8g2m-24gg

Basic information

Type
reviewed
Severity
critical
Advisory on GitHub
Open advisory ↗
Repository advisory
Open repository advisory ↗
Source code
Browse source ↗
Published (advisory)
2023-06-30 20:41:43 UTC
Updated
2023-11-06 05:03:14 UTC
GitHub reviewed
2023-06-30 20:41:43 UTC
NVD published
2023-06-28

EPSS Score

Score Percentile
9.75% 92.88%

CVSS Scores

Base score Version Severity Vector
9.8 3.1
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

Identifiers

CWEs

CWE id Name
CWE-1321 Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')

Credits

  • dblythy (remediation_developer)
  • mtrezza (remediation_reviewer)

Affected packages (2)

Vulnerable version ranges and first patched releases as published by GitHub.

Ecosystem Package Vulnerable range First patched Vulnerable functions
npm parse-server < 5.5.2 5.5.2
npm parse-server >= 6.0.0, < 6.2.1 6.2.1

References

cvelogic Threat Intelligence