dbcve.org
Parallels DesktopApplication · Parallels

CVE-2023-50228

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2024-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 19.1.0_ 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 Verification of Cryptographic Signature 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 verification of a cryptographic signature. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of root. . Was ZDI-CAN-21817.

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

A local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Parallels Desktop Updater service due to improper verification of cryptographic signatures. An attacker with the ability to execute low-privileged code can exploit this flaw to bypass signature validation and execute arbitrary code with root privileges.

MitigationApply vendor patches for Parallels Desktop when available; until then, limit local access to trusted users only and monitor the updater service for suspicious activity.

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:< 19.1.0_\(54729\)

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 Parallels Desktop installation and version
    Open Parallels Desktop and go to Menu > About Parallels Desktop, or check the application bundle version info
    Affected if The installed version is less than 19.1.0_(54729)
  2. Locate the Parallels Desktop Updater service
    Check for the presence of the Parallels updater service or daemon process on the system
    Affected if The Parallels Desktop Updater service is installed and enabled on the system
  3. Verify updater service configuration
    Inspect the updater service configuration files or running processes related to Parallels update mechanism
    Affected if The updater service is configured to run with elevated privileges
  4. Check signature validation status of updater
    Examine the updater service executable and its configuration for signature verification settings
    Affected if Signature validation is disabled or improperly configured for the updater binary

The system is affected if Parallels Desktop version is below 19.1.0_(54729) and the Updater service with its flawed signature verification is present and enabled.

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 19.1.0_ or later
Fixed in 19.1.0_
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patches for Parallels Desktop when available; until then, limit local access to trusted users only and monitor the updater service for suspicious activity.

Recommended fix High confidence

Parallels Desktop 19.1.0 (build 54729) or later

  1. Back up all virtual machines and important data before updating
  2. Download Parallels Desktop version 19.1.0 (build 54729) or later from the official Parallels website (www.parallels.com)
  3. Install the updated Parallels Desktop version following the standard installation process
  4. Verify the update was successful by checking the version in Parallels Desktop (Parallels Desktop menu > About Parallels Desktop)
  5. Confirm the build number shows 54729 or higher
Caveat Review Parallels release notes for any VM configuration or macOS compatibility changes before upgrading

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
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
25.0 hours of engineering $4,400
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,040.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-50228 — 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-2023-50228 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