Parse Server: Pre-authentication denial of service via client version header regex backtracking
### Impact An unauthenticated attacker who knows a publicly-known Parse Application ID can submit a single HTTP request whose client SDK version field contains adversarial input that triggers polynomial backtracking in a request-header parser. The parsing runs before session authentication and before rate limiting on every `/parse/*` request, so the request consumes seconds to minutes of synchronous CPU on a Node.js worker before any access control evaluates it. A small number of concurrent requests can saturate a worker; a single large request via the body-field variant can pin a worker for minutes. Production deployments running the default configuration are affected. ### Patches The client SDK version capture and parsing have been removed entirely. The Parse JS SDK compatibility table defines a strict version-pinned contract between Parse Server and the Parse JS SDK; server-side adaptation to client SDK version is an obsolete pattern that contradicts that contract. The vulnerable parser, the `clientSDK` parameter that threaded its output through routers, and the legacy code path it gated are all removed. The `X-Parse-Client-Version` header and `_ClientVersion` JSON body field are now silently ignored on every request; supported Parse SDKs are unaffected. ### Workarounds Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF in front of Parse Server that strips or strictly size-limits the `X-Parse-Client-Version` header AND the `_ClientVersion` field in JSON request bodies on every `/parse/*` route before forwarding to the server. A header-size cap alone is insufficient: the body-field variant requires inspection of JSON content. Upgrading to the patched version is the recommended remediation.
describes (1)
Related CVEs.
| ID | severity | exploitable | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-47138US | — | — | ||
Parse Server is an open source backend that can be deployed to any infrastructure that can run Node.js. Prior to versions 8.6.77 and 9.9.1-alpha.1, an unauthenticated attacker who… | ||||
references
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://github.com/parse-community/parse-serverPACKAGE
- https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/pull/10463WEB
- https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/pull/10464WEB
- https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/security/advisories/GHSA-38m6-82c8-4xfmWEB
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-47138ADVISORY
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