CVE-2021-31422
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 16.1.1-49141. 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 e1000e virtual device. The issue results from the lack of proper locking when performing operations on an object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of the hypervisor. Was ZDI-CAN-12527.
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 confidenceA race condition in the e1000e virtual network device emulated in Parallels Desktop 16.1.1-49141 allows a locally authenticated attacker with high-privileged code execution in a guest VM to bypass hypervisor isolation by exploiting missing proper locking around object operations in the network device emulation, achieving arbitrary code execution in the hypervisor context.
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= 16.1.1-49141CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/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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Identify installed Parallels Desktop versionCheck the Parallels Desktop version by accessing Parallels Desktop > About in the menu bar, or by running 'prlctl --version' from terminal if available. Compare the version number to exactly 16.1.1-49141.Affected if The installed version is precisely 16.1.1-49141.
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Identify e1000e virtual network adapter in useReview the virtual hardware configuration of each guest VM. Check the Network or Hardware settings in Parallels Desktop for each VM to see if the Intel e1000e network adapter is assigned or enabled.Affected if Any guest VM has the e1000e virtual network adapter enabled or configured.
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Determine if high-privileged code execution is possible in guest VMsAssess whether untrusted or lower-privileged users/processes can obtain elevated or root privileges within any guest VM. Check VM user permissions and code execution capabilities.Affected if An attacker can execute high-privileged code within any guest VM on the system.
A system is affected only if running exactly Parallels Desktop version 16.1.1-49141 with an e1000e virtual network adapter enabled in a guest VM where an attacker can achieve high-privileged code execution.
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 dataApply available vendor patches for Parallels Desktop; if unavailable, consider disabling the e1000e virtual network adapter or limiting execution of untrusted code in guest VMs until an update is available.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,960.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-31422 — 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-2021-31422 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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