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Parallels DesktopApplication · Parallels

CVE-2023-27322

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2024-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.1.0_ or later.
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
Parallels Desktop Service Improper Initialization Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of Parallels Desktop. 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. The issue results from the lack of proper initialization of environment variables. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of root. Was ZDI-CAN-17751.

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

This vulnerability in Parallels Desktop's Service component stems from improper initialization of environment variables, allowing a local attacker who has already achieved low-privileged code execution to escalate to root privileges. The flaw is specific to the Parallels Service daemon running on the host system.

MitigationApply the vendor patch from Parallels as soon as possible; until then, limit local access to trusted users only and monitor for any suspicious process activity involving the Parallels Service.

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:< 18.1.0_\(53311\)

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:3.0/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. Confirm Parallels Desktop is installed
    Check for the presence of Parallels Desktop applications in /Applications or via system_profiler SPApplicationsDataType
    Affected if Parallels Desktop is not installed, the system is not affected by this vulnerability
  2. Identify installed Parallels Desktop version
    Run 'parallels --version' or right-click Parallels Desktop in /Applications and select Get Info to view the version number
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 18.1.0 (build 53311)
  3. Verify Parallels Service daemon is running
    Check for the 'Parallels Service' process using Activity Monitor or run 'ps aux | grep -i parallels' in Terminal
    Affected if The Parallels Service daemon (prl_disp_service or similar) is actively running on the host system
  4. Check service configuration for environment variable handling
    Inspect the service launch configuration in /Library/LaunchDaemons/ or via launchctl list for com.parallels.related entries
    Affected if The service runs with root privileges and environment variables are not properly sanitized at startup

A system is affected if Parallels Desktop version is below 18.1.0 (build 53311) and the Parallels Service daemon runs on the host with elevated privileges.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 18.1.0_ or later
Fixed in 18.1.0_
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch from Parallels as soon as possible; until then, limit local access to trusted users only and monitor for any suspicious process activity involving the Parallels Service.

Recommended fix High confidence

Parallels Desktop 18.1.0 (build 53311) or later

  1. Confirm current Parallels Desktop version by opening Parallels Desktop > About Parallels Desktop
  2. Back up any critical virtual machines and important data
  3. Download Parallels Desktop version 18.1.0 (build 53311) or later from the official Parallels website
  4. Install the downloaded update following the on-screen installation wizard
  5. Restart the system if prompted by the installer
  6. Verify the installed version by checking About Parallels Desktop shows version 18.1.0 (53311) or higher

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Parallels Desktop Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

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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-2023-27322 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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