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Parallels DesktopApplication · Parallels

CVE-2023-27325

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 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-18253.

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

The vulnerability exists in the Parallels Desktop Updater service due to improper initialization of environment variables. A local attacker with low-privileged code execution can exploit this to escalate to root privileges by manipulating environment variables used by the Updater service.

MitigationApply the official Parallels Desktop security update or patch to address the improper environment variable initialization in 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:3.1/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 installed Parallels Desktop version
    Open Parallels Desktop and go to the menu bar: Parallels Desktop > About Parallels Desktop. Alternatively, check the installed applications list or the application bundle version.
    Affected if The version displayed is earlier than 18.1.0 (build 53311)
  2. Locate the Parallels Desktop Updater service
    Check system processes or services for a process named 'Parallels Desktop Updater' or similar (such as prl_updater or parallels-updater). On macOS, inspect /Library/LaunchDaemons or /Library/LaunchAgents for Parallels updater plist files.
    Affected if The Updater service is installed and present on the system
  3. Verify Updater service configuration
    Examine the Updater service configuration files in the Parallels installation directory (typically /Applications/Utilities/Parallels Desktop.app/Contents/Resources/ or similar) for how environment variables are initialized.
    Affected if The configuration shows environment variables are used by the service without secure initialization
  4. Check service execution context
    Review the Updater service's execution context and permissions using system tools like Activity Monitor or launchctl list. Note whether it runs with elevated (root) privileges.
    Affected if The Updater service runs with root or elevated privileges

A user is affected if Parallels Desktop version is below 18.1.0 (build 53311) AND the Updater service is installed and executes with elevated privileges 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 official Parallels Desktop security update or patch to address the improper environment variable initialization in the Updater service.

Recommended fix High confidence

Parallels Desktop 18.1.0 (53311)

  1. Download Parallels Desktop version 18.1.0 (53311) or later from the official Parallels website (kb.parallels.com)
  2. Run the Parallels Desktop update installer
  3. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation
  4. Restart your system if prompted by the installer
  5. Verify the installed version by opening Parallels Desktop and checking About > Version to confirm it shows 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

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

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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-2023-27325 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