dbcve.org
Parallels DesktopApplication · Parallels

CVE-2023-50226

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2024-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 17.1.7_ / 18.3.2_ 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 Link Following 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 move arbitrary files. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of root. . Was ZDI-CAN-21227.

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 symlink following vulnerability in the Parallels Desktop Updater service. A local attacker with low-privileged code execution can create a symbolic link to abuse the updater service into moving arbitrary files, ultimately escalating privileges to root and executing arbitrary code in the root context.

MitigationApply the vendor patch from Parallels when available. In the interim, restrict access to the Parallels Desktop updater service directories and monitor for suspicious symbolic link creation within the updater's working 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:< 17.1.7_\(51588\)>= 18.0.0_\(53049\), < 18.3.2_\(53621\)

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. Identify installed Parallels Desktop version
    Use system utilities, About dialog, or version check commands specific to Parallels Desktop to determine the exact version number currently installed
    Affected if The installed version falls within < 17.1.7_(51588) OR (>= 18.0.0_(53049) AND < 18.3.2_(53621))
  2. Confirm the Updater service is present and running
    Check if the Parallels Desktop updater service or related processes are active on the system
    Affected if The updater service exists and is operational, as the vulnerability requires this component to be present
  3. Verify low-privileged user access to system
    Determine if standard or low-privileged user accounts can execute code on this system
    Affected if Low-privileged users can execute code on the system, which is required to exploit the symlink vulnerability

You are affected if Parallels Desktop is installed with a version less than 17.1.7_(51588), or between 18.0.0_(53049) and 18.3.2_(53621) inclusive, and the updater service is present and accessible to low-privileged users.

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 17.1.7_ / 18.3.2_ or later
Fixed in 17.1.7_18.3.2_
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch from Parallels when available. In the interim, restrict access to the Parallels Desktop updater service directories and monitor for suspicious symbolic link creation within the updater's working directories.

Recommended fix High confidence

Parallels Desktop 17.1.7 (build 51588) or later for 17.x line; Parallels Desktop 18.3.2 (build 53621) or later for 18.x line

  1. Check current Parallels Desktop version via Parallels Desktop menu > About Parallels Desktop
  2. For version 17.x users: Download and install Parallels Desktop 17.1.7 (build 51588) or later from kb.parallels.com
  3. For version 18.x users: Download and install Parallels Desktop 18.3.2 (build 53621) or later from kb.parallels.com
  4. Restart the Parallels Desktop service after upgrade
  5. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release

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
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,900
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,040.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-50226 — 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-2023-50226 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