CVE-2020-17393
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThis vulnerability allows local attackers to disclose information on affected installations of Parallels Desktop 15.1.3-47255. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the prl_hypervisor kext. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result a pointer to be leaked after the handler is done. An attacker can leverage this in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code in the context of the kernel. Was ZDI-CAN-10520.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceLocal information disclosure vulnerability in Parallels Desktop's prl_hypervisor kernel extension. The flaw stems from improper validation of user-supplied data, causing a pointer to be leaked after handler processing. While the direct impact is information disclosure, the leaked pointer can be leveraged with other vulnerabilities to achieve arbitrary kernel-level code execution.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 15.1.4CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Parallels Desktop is installedRun 'ls /Applications | grep -i parallels' or check for Parallels Desktop in /Applications folderAffected if Parallels Desktop application is present on the system
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Check installed Parallels Desktop versionRun 'prlctl --version' in Terminal, or right-click Parallels Desktop.app > Get Info to view version numberAffected if Version number is lower than 15.1.4 (e.g., 15.1.3, 15.1.2, etc.)
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Verify prl_hypervisor kernel extension is loadedRun 'kextstat | grep -i prl_hypervisor' or 'kextstat | grep -i parallels' in TerminalAffected if The prl_hypervisor kernel extension appears in the loaded kext list (indicating the vulnerable component is active)
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Check Parallels Desktop build numberRun 'prlctl list -v' or check About This Virtual Machine dialog for build/version detailsAffected if Build number is below 47255 (the patched build for version 15.1.3)
The system is affected if Parallels Desktop is installed with a version lower than 15.1.4 AND the prl_hypervisor kernel extension is loaded.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor data15.1.4
Apply the vendor patch for Parallels Desktop 15.1.3-47255 or later. Ensure systems are not exposed to untrusted local users or code. Prioritize patching on systems where low-privileged code execution by untrusted users is possible.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-17393 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-17393 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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