Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:XSummary
CVE-2026-32944 is a high-severity Uncontrolled Recursion (CWE-674) vulnerability in Parseplatform Parse-Server. Its CVSS base score is 8.7 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Endpoint Denial of Service (T1499); ranked at the 39th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SC-5 (Denial-of-service Protection) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-32944 is a denial-of-service vulnerability in Parse Server, an open source backend deployable on any Node.js-compatible infrastructure. In versions prior to 9.6.0-alpha.21 and 8.6.45, the server fails to properly handle deeply nested query condition operators, allowing a specially crafted request to exhaust resources and crash the entire Parse Server process. This issue is classified under CWE-674 (Uncontrolled Recursion) with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H), indicating high-impact availability disruption without requiring authentication or user interaction.
An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a single malicious HTTP request containing deeply nested query conditions to any exposed Parse Server endpoint. Successful exploitation terminates the server process, immediately denying service to all connected clients and requiring manual restart, potentially leading to prolonged outages in production environments.
Mitigation requires upgrading to Parse Server version 9.6.0-alpha.21 or 8.6.45, where a depth limit for query condition operator nesting is enforced via the `requestComplexity.queryDepth` server option. This option is disabled by default to prevent breaking changes, so administrators must explicitly configure an appropriate value post-upgrade. No workarounds are available, and relevant advisories are detailed in the Parse Server GitHub security advisory (GHSA-9xp9-j92r-p88v) and related pull requests (10202, 10203).
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-12992
Vulnerability Data
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…
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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.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Input validation can reject or constrain data that would otherwise drive unbounded recursive calls.
DoS protection mechanisms limit the resource-exhaustion impact of uncontrolled recursion without eliminating the flaw.
System monitoring can observe anomalous resource consumption that signals runaway recursion after it begins.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly prevent coding errors such as missing recursion limits or termination conditions.
Runtime monitoring of compute resources can detect excessive consumption caused by uncontrolled recursion.
Vulnerability identification processes can discover and record uncontrolled recursion flaws before deployment.
Capacity monitoring and resource provisioning can absorb or limit the impact of runaway recursion.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development can detect excessive recursion via static analysis or fuzzing.
Secure development life cycle requires controls that prevent uncontrolled recursion through design and code review.
Application security requirements can mandate recursion limits or stack-depth checks.
Secure system architecture principles include resource-management and input-validation rules that limit recursion.
Secure coding standards directly prohibit or constrain recursive constructs that could exhaust stack or memory.
Capacity management includes monitoring and limits that mitigate resource exhaustion from runaway recursion.