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Parallels DesktopApplication · Parallels

CVE-2023-27324

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 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 Updater 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-18229.

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

Parallels Desktop Updater service lacks proper initialization of environment variables, allowing a local attacker with low-privileged code execution to manipulate environment variables and escalate to root privileges, executing arbitrary code in the context of the root user.

MitigationApply the vendor patch from Parallels when available. Until patched, restrict local access to trusted users and monitor for any suspicious processes interacting with the Updater 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 installation
    Locate the Parallels Desktop application in /Applications or via system_profiler SPApplicationsFolderData
    Affected if Parallels Desktop is not present on the system, the vulnerability does not apply
  2. Identify installed Parallels Desktop version
    Run ' Parallels Desktop --version' or check the application info via Finder Get Info window
    Affected if Version is missing from the output or cannot be determined, manual verification required
  3. Compare version to vulnerability range
    Match your installed version against '< 18.1.0_(53311)' - any version lower than 18.1.0 build 53311 is affected
    Affected if Installed version is numerically less than 18.1.0_53311 (e.g., 18.0.x, 17.x, 16.x)
  4. Verify Updater service presence
    Check for the Parallels Updater daemon or service process (often named 'Parallels Service' or 'prl_') running on the system
    Affected if The Updater service is running - the vulnerable code path is active; if disabled, exploitation may not be possible

User is affected if Parallels Desktop is installed with a version below 18.1.0 build 53311 and the Updater service is enabled and running on the system.

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 when available. Until patched, restrict local access to trusted users and monitor for any suspicious processes interacting with the Updater service.

Recommended fix High confidence

Parallels Desktop 18.1.0 (build 53311) or later

  1. Check current Parallels Desktop version by opening Parallels Desktop and going to the menu: Parallels Desktop > About Parallels Desktop
  2. If the version is below 18.1.0 (build 53311), download Parallels Desktop version 18.1.0 (53311) or later from the official Parallels website (kb.parallels.com)
  3. Install the updated version by running the downloaded installer
  4. Follow the on-screen installation prompts to complete the update
  5. Restart the computer if prompted by the installer
  6. After restart, verify the installed version is 18.1.0 (53311) or higher via Parallels Desktop > 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
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,460
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-2023-27324 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