CVE-2023-22474

Parse Server is vulnerable to authentication bypass via spoofing

HIGH
8.1
CVSS Score
Published: February 3, 2023 at 07:57 PM UTC
Updated: June 17, 2026 at 05:35 AM UTC
2 products affected across 2 vendorsParse ServerParse Server

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Severity
HIGH8.1
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.7%
SSVC
No known exploit

Description

Parse Server is an open source backend that can be deployed to any infrastructure that can run Node.js. Parse Server uses the request header `x-forwarded-for` to determine the client IP address. If Parse Server doesn't run behind a proxy server, then a client can set this header and Parse Server will trust the value of the header. The incorrect client IP address will be used by various features in Parse Server. This allows to circumvent the security mechanism of the Parse Server option `masterKeyIps` by setting an allowed IP address as the `x-forwarded-for` header value. This issue has been patched in version 5.4.1. The mechanism to determine the client IP address has been rewritten. The correct IP address determination now requires to set the Parse Server option `trustProxy`.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

v < 5.4.1
Affected range stops below 5.4.1, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement
v < 5.4.1
Affected range stops below 5.4.1, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet. What the record does show:

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitNot automatableTotal impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

Attack Vector
NETWORK
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
LOW
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
HIGH
Integrity
HIGH
Availability
NONE
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusMODIFIED
CWE
CWE-290

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