CVE-2020-17396
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 escalate privileges on affected installations of Parallels Desktop 15.1.4. 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 module. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in an integer overflow before allocating a buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute code in the context of the kernel. Was ZDI-CAN-11217.
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 confidenceInteger overflow in prl_hypervisor module due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data allows local attackers to execute code in kernel context, achieving privilege escalation from low-privileged code to root/SYSTEM on affected Parallels Desktop 15.1.4 installations.
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< 16.0.0CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
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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Verify Parallels Desktop is installedOn macOS, check for /Applications/Parallels Desktop.app or run: ls /Applications/ | grep -i parallelsAffected if Parallels Desktop application exists on the system
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Determine installed Parallels Desktop versionRight-click Parallels Desktop.app > Get Info, or run: /Applications/Parallels\ Desktop.app/Contents/MacOS/Parallels\ Service --version 2>/dev/nullAffected if Version displayed is less than 16.0.0 (for example, 15.1.4)
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Check for prl_hypervisor kernel module presenceOn macOS, run: kextstat | grep -i prl_hypervisor or check /Library/Extensions/Prl* extensions directory for prl_hypervisor.kextAffected if The prl_hypervisor kernel extension is loaded or present on disk
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Confirm kernel module is actively loadedRun: kextstat | grep -i parallels to verify the prl_hypervisor module is currently loaded in kernel spaceAffected if Module shows as loaded in kextstat output (status=loaded)
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Verify running version is in affected rangeCross-reference the installed version from step 2 against the affected range: versions < 16.0.0Affected if Installed version is 15.x.x or earlier, specifically below 16.0.0
User is affected if Parallels Desktop version is below 16.0.0 AND the prl_hypervisor kernel module is loaded on the system.
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 data16.0.0
Apply vendor security patch from Parallels; update to version 15.1.5 or later which addresses the integer overflow vulnerability in prl_hypervisor.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-17396 — 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-2020-17396 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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