CVE-2026-32944: Parse Server crash via deeply nested query condition operators

Severity: high (CVSS 7.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.5% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-03-18 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-674

Description

Parse Server is an open source backend that can be deployed to any infrastructure that can run Node.js. Prior to 9.6.0-alpha.21 and 8.6.45, an unauthenticated attacker can crash the Parse Server process by sending a single request with deeply nested query condition operators. This terminates the server and denies service to all connected clients. Starting in version 9.6.0-alpha.21 and 8.6.45, a depth limit for query condition operator nesting has been added via the `requestComplexity.queryDepth` server option. The option is disabled by default to avoid a breaking change. To mitigate, upgrade and set the option to a value appropriate for your app. No known workarounds are available.

Affected products

parse-community parse-server: before 8.6.45; from 9.0.0 before 9.6.0; 9.6.0-alpha1, 9.6.0-alpha10, 9.6.0-alpha11, 9.6.0-alpha12, 9.6.0-alpha13, 9.6.0-alpha14 (+14) — fixed in 8.6.45, 9.6.0

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: parse-community parse-server 8.6.45, 9.6.0. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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