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Parallels DesktopApplication · Parallels

CVE-2023-27323

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 Updater Time-Of-Check Time-Of-Use 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 Updater 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-18150.

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 is a Time-Of-Check Time-Of-Use (TOCTOU) vulnerability in the Parallels Desktop Updater service. A local attacker with low-privileged code execution can create a symbolic link to abuse a race condition between file validation and file execution in the updater, leading to arbitrary code execution with root privileges.

MitigationApply the vendor security update for Parallels Desktop when available. Until then, restrict user access to the updater service and monitor for suspicious symbolic link creation in updater directories.

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. Check Parallels Desktop installed version
    Open Terminal and run: `defaults read /Applications/Parallels\ Desktop.app/Contents/Info.plist CFBundleVersion` or check via Parallels Desktop menu: Parallels Desktop > About Parallels Desktop
    Affected if Installed version is less than 18.1.0 (build 53311)
  2. Verify Updater service exists
    Check for the presence of the updater component: `ls -la /Library/Application\ Support/Parallels/Parallels\ Updater.app` or look for prl_updater processes running: `ps aux | grep -i updater`
    Affected if Updater service is present on the system
  3. Check updater directory permissions
    Examine write permissions on updater directories: `ls -la /Library/Application\ Support/Parallels/` and `ls -la /Library/Application\ Support/Parallels/Parallels\ Updater.app/Contents/MacOS/`
    Affected if Low-privileged users can write to updater directories or create symbolic links in them
  4. Detect existing symbolic links in updater paths
    Search for symbolic links in updater-related paths: `find /Library/Application\ Support/Parallels -type l -ls 2>/dev/null`
    Affected if Any unexpected symbolic links exist in Parallels updater directories
  5. Confirm low-privileged user access
    Verify the attacking user has code execution capability: check if standard user accounts exist on the system and can run commands
    Affected if Standard non-root users have shell access to the system

The system is affected if Parallels Desktop version is below 18.1.0 (build 53311) AND the Updater service is installed AND low-privileged users can create symbolic links in updater directories.

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 security update for Parallels Desktop when available. Until then, restrict user access to the updater service and monitor for suspicious symbolic link creation in updater directories.

Recommended fix High confidence

Parallels Desktop 18.1.0 (build 53311) or later

  1. Check the current Parallels Desktop version by going to Parallels Desktop menu > About Parallels Desktop
  2. Navigate to the official Parallels download page or use Parallels Check for Updates within the application
  3. Download Parallels Desktop version 18.1.0 (build 53311) or later
  4. Install the update following the on-screen prompts
  5. Restart the virtual machine or the host system if prompted by the installer
  6. Verify the installed version is 18.1.0_(53311) or higher via About Parallels Desktop

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

Fix this in Parallels Desktop Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,690
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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-2023-27323 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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