dbcve.org
Parallels AccessApplication · Parallels

CVE-2022-34899

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-07-18
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 Access 6.5.4 (39316) Agent. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target host system in order to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the Parallels service. By creating a symbolic link, an attacker can abuse the service to execute a file. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of root. Was ZDI-CAN-16134.

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

A local privilege escalation vulnerability in Parallels Access 6.5.4 Agent allows attackers with low-privileged code execution to create symbolic links that abuse the Parallels service into executing arbitrary files with root privileges.

MitigationApply the vendor patch for Parallels Access 6.5.4 or upgrade to a patched version. Until then, restrict file creation permissions in service directories and monitor for unauthorized symlink creation.

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 AccessApplication
Affected:= 6.5.4_\(39316\)

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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. Identify if Parallels Access is installed
    Check for the presence of the Parallels Access application. On Linux: ls -la /Applications/Parallels\ Access.app or which parallels-access. On macOS: ls -la ~/Applications/Parallels\ Access.app or check /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/ for the Parallels Access Helper
    Affected if Parallels Access is found installed on the system
  2. Determine the installed version
    Run: parallels-access --version or check the application bundle info. On macOS: defaults read /Applications/Parallels\ Access.app/Contents/Info.plist CFBundleVersion
    Affected if Version is exactly 6.5.4_(39316)
  3. Verify the Parallels service is running
    Check for running Parallels processes. On Linux: ps aux | grep -i parallels. On macOS: ps aux | grep -i "Parallels" or launchctl list | grep -i parallels
    Affected if The Parallels Access service or helper process is actively running with elevated privileges
  4. Inspect service directory permissions
    On Linux: ls -la /var/opt/parallels or /usr/local/bin/ | grep -i parallels. On macOS: ls -la /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/ and ls -la /Library/LaunchDaemons/ | grep -i parallels
    Affected if Directories used by the Parallels service have permissions allowing low-privileged users to create files or symlinks
  5. Detect suspicious symlinks in service directories
    Find symlinks in Parallels service directories. On Linux: find /var/opt/parallels -type l -ls 2>/dev/null. On macOS: find /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/ -type l -ls
    Affected if Unexpected symbolic links exist in directories accessed by the Parallels service daemon running as root

A user is affected if Parallels Access version 6.5.4_(39316) is installed and running, and low-privileged users can create symlinks in directories the privileged Parallels service accesses.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor patch for Parallels Access 6.5.4 or upgrade to a patched version. Until then, restrict file creation permissions in service directories and monitor for unauthorized symlink creation.

Fix this in Parallels Access Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-34899 — 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-2022-34899 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