Parallels Desktop local privilege escalation via appliance extract argument injection
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Privilege escalation, Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-269 and CWE-78.
Summary
Parallels Desktop runs prl_disp_service as root. Local clients reach it on the world-writable socket /var/run/prl_disp_service.socket. PrlSrv_LoginLocal accepts peer credentials. No Parallels signature. No admin group. After login, PrlSrv_InstallAppliance lets you pick the appliance folder (sVmParentPath). The daemon unpacks with one string, tar -xf "%1" -C "%2", then Qt QProcess::splitCommand chops that string into words. A quote in the folder name closes early. The leftover text becomes extra tar flags. macOS tar --use-compress-program= runs the named program as root.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Parallels Desktop for Mac (Parallels) Fixed in 27.0.0
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-90894
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-xf5f-rxc7-27mg
References
More Parallels vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-22549 Path traversal in Parallels Desktop for Mac CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-19453 The Web Client of Parallels Remote Application Server v18.0 is vulnerable to Host Header… CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.1
- TI-2024-36288 Link following in Parallels Desktop for Mac CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
- TI-2024-35227 Link following in Parallels Desktop for Mac CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
- TI-2024-24264 Link following in Parallels Desktop for Mac CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
- TI-2013-04282 The default configuration of Parallels Plesk Panel 9.0.x and 9.2.x on UNIX, and Small… CVSS 2.0HIGH 7.5
Sources
- CVE-2026-90894 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-90894 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-xf5f-rxc7-27mg · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences