dbcve.org
Parallels DesktopApplication · Parallels

CVE-2020-8874

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-03-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.1.3 or later.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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 · unedited
This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of Parallels Desktop 15.1.2-47123. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute high-privileged code on the target guest system in order to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the xHCI component. 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 hypervisor. Was ZDI-CAN-10032.

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 · high confidence

Integer overflow in Parallels Desktop's xHCI USB component allows a guest VM attacker with high-privileged code execution to escape VM isolation and execute code in the hypervisor context. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of user-supplied data during buffer allocation sizing.

MitigationApply vendor patch from Parallels for version 15.1.2-47123. As this is a guest-to-host escape, also enforce least-privilege execution within guest VMs to reduce attack surface.

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
Parallels DesktopApplication
Affected:< 15.1.3

CVSS 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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Parallels Desktop installation
    Check if Parallels Desktop is installed by looking for the application: on macOS, check /Applications/Parallels Desktop.app or run 'ls /Applications | grep -i parallels'. On Windows hosts, check Program Files for Parallels folder.
    Affected if Parallels Desktop is not installed on the system
  2. Determine installed Parallels Desktop version
    On macOS, right-click Parallels Desktop.app > Get Info, or run: defaults read /Applications/Parallels\ Desktop.app/Contents/Info CFBundleShortVersionString. On Windows, check the version in Add/Remove Programs or the program's About dialog.
    Affected if The installed version is less than 15.1.3 (any version from 15.0.0 through 15.1.2)
  3. Check if xHCI USB controller is configured for any VM
    Open Parallels Desktop Configuration > Hardware > USB and verify if xHCI (USB 3.0) controller is attached to any virtual machine. Alternatively, check the VM's .pvs configuration file for 'usb' controller type settings.
    Affected if A VM has xHCI (USB 3.0) controller enabled and attached
  4. Identify VMs with USB device access
    Review each VM's hardware settings to see which have USB devices connected or USB controller present. In Parallels Desktop, select each VM > Configure > Hardware > USB.
    Affected if Any guest VM has an xHCI USB controller configured or has USB devices attached while running an unpatched Parallels version

You are affected if Parallels Desktop version is below 15.1.3 AND a guest VM has xHCI USB controller enabled, allowing a high-privileged attacker in that VM to escape to the hypervisor.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 15.1.3 or later
Fixed in 15.1.3
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patch from Parallels for version 15.1.2-47123. As this is a guest-to-host escape, also enforce least-privilege execution within guest VMs to reduce attack surface.

Fix this in Parallels Desktop Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-8874 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-8874 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data