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.
Advisories

No advisories yet.

Fixes

Solution

Upgrade to Parallels Desktop 27.0.1 or later.


Workaround

No workaround given by the vendor.

History

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 11:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'total'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}


Mon, 14 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description 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.
Title Parallels Desktop local privilege escalation via appliance extract argument injection
Weaknesses CWE-269
CWE-78
CWE-88
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'}


Projects

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cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: JFROG

Published:

Updated: 2026-09-14T10:23:46.541Z

Reserved: 2026-09-14T09:33:11.942Z

Link: CVE-2026-90894

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-09-14T10:23:41.733Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-09-14T10:17:06.133

Modified: 2026-09-14T11:17:07.997

Link: CVE-2026-90894

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

No data.

Weaknesses