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Parallels DesktopApplication · Parallels

CVE-2024-6154

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-06-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.1.0 or later.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 Toolgate Heap-based Buffer Overflow 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 high-privileged code on the target guest system in order to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the Toolgate component. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a fixed-length heap-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user on the host system. Was ZDI-CAN-20450.

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 · moderate confidence

A heap-based buffer overflow in the Toolgate component of Parallels Desktop allows an attacker with high-privileged code execution on a guest VM to overflow a heap buffer by failing to validate the length of user-supplied data before copying, enabling privilege escalation to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user on the host system.

MitigationApply available patches from Parallels when released; until then, minimize guest VM privileges and restrict unnecessary guest-to-host interactions to reduce attack surface.

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

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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. Verify Parallels Desktop is installed
    Check system for Parallels Desktop application installation (common paths include /Applications/Parallels Desktop.app or Windows installation directory)
    Affected if Parallels Desktop software is present on the system
  2. Determine installed Parallels Desktop version
    Open Parallels Desktop and navigate to Parallels Desktop menu > About Parallels Desktop, or check version through the application's info panel
    Affected if Installed version is lower than 18.1.0 (e.g., 18.0.x, 17.x, or earlier)
  3. Confirm Toolgate component is present
    Check for Toolgate-related drivers or services within the Parallels Desktop installation directory or system services list
    Affected if Toolgate component exists and is loaded by Parallels Desktop
  4. Assess guest VM high-privileged execution capability
    Review guest VM configurations and determine if any guest VM has or can obtain high-privileged (root/administrator) code execution capability
    Affected if At least one guest VM can execute high-privileged code and communicates with the host via Parallels tools

You are affected if Parallels Desktop version is below 18.1.0, the Toolgate component is active, and a guest VM can execute high-privileged code that interacts with the host.

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 available patches from Parallels when released; until then, minimize guest VM privileges and restrict unnecessary guest-to-host interactions to reduce attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

Parallels Desktop 18.1.0

  1. Back up all critical virtual machines and important data from the Parallels Desktop environment
  2. Obtain Parallels Desktop version 18.1.0 or later from the official Parallels website or trusted distribution channel
  3. Quit Parallels Desktop if currently running
  4. Install the updated Parallels Desktop version following the vendor's standard installation process
  5. After installation, verify the installed version is 18.1.0 or higher to confirm the patch was applied

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
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.

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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-2024-6154 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