CVE-2025-53364
📋 TL;DR
Parse Server's GraphQL API exposed schema metadata without authentication in versions 5.3.0 through 7.5.2 and 8.0.0 through 8.2.1. This allows attackers to discover available queries, mutations, and data structures without needing credentials. Organizations using affected Parse Server versions with GraphQL enabled are vulnerable.
💻 Affected Systems
- Parse Server
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers map the entire GraphQL schema to identify potential attack vectors, then chain this with other vulnerabilities to access sensitive data or execute unauthorized operations.
Likely Case
Information disclosure of GraphQL schema structure, enabling attackers to understand available endpoints and plan targeted attacks against the API.
If Mitigated
Limited exposure with only schema metadata visible, no direct data access, and other security controls preventing exploitation of discovered endpoints.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires only HTTP requests to the GraphQL endpoint without authentication. No special tools needed beyond standard HTTP clients.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 7.5.3 or 8.2.2
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/security/advisories/GHSA-48q3-prgv-gm4w
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check current Parse Server version. 2. Update to 7.5.3 (for 7.x branch) or 8.2.2 (for 8.x branch). 3. Restart the Parse Server application. 4. Verify GraphQL introspection now requires authentication.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable GraphQL API
allTemporarily disable GraphQL functionality if not required
Set graphQL: false in Parse Server configuration
Network Access Control
linuxRestrict access to GraphQL endpoint using firewall rules
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport [parse-port] -s [allowed-ips] -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport [parse-port] -j DROP
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement API gateway or reverse proxy with authentication requirements for GraphQL endpoints
- Enable Parse Server's built-in security features like session token requirements and master key protection
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Send unauthenticated GraphQL introspection query to Parse Server endpoint: curl -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' --data '{"query":"{__schema{types{name}}}"}' http://your-parse-server/graphqlCheck Version:
Check package.json or run: npm list parse-serverVerify Fix Applied:
Repeat vulnerable check with unauthenticated request - should return authentication error instead of schema data📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual volume of GraphQL introspection queries
- Requests to /graphql endpoint without session tokens
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to GraphQL endpoint without authentication headers
- GraphQL introspection queries from unexpected sources
SIEM Query:
source="parse-server" AND (uri_path="/graphql" OR uri_path="/parse/graphql") AND NOT (http_header="X-Parse-Session-Token" OR http_header="X-Parse-Master-Key")