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VulnerabilityPublished

CVE-2024-54189: Parallels Desktop for Mac · UNIX Hard Link

Affects Parallels Desktop for MacSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 25% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 3 Jun 2025

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

What to do

AI-suggested

To mitigate this vulnerability effectively, European organizations should: 1) Immediately identify and inventory all systems running Parallels Desktop for Mac version 20.1.1 (build 55740). 2) Restrict access to affected systems to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of local exploitation. 3) Implement strict file system permissions and monitor for suspicious hard link creations or modifications in directories used by Parallels snapshots. 4) Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools configured to alert on unusual file system activities indicative of hard link exploitation. 5) Until an official patch is released, consider disabling or limiting the use of the snapshot functionality within Parallels Desktop to reduce attack vectors. 6) Maintain robust user account management, enforcing least privilege principles and strong authentication to reduce the likelihood of local user compromise. 7) Regularly check for updates from Parallels and apply security patches promptly once available. 8) Conduct security awareness training to inform users about the risks of local privilege escalation and safe usage practices of virtualization software.

Description

A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Snapshot functionality of Parallels Desktop for Mac version 20.1.1 (build 55740). When a snapshot of a virtual machine is taken, a root service writes to a file owned by a normal user. By using a hard link, an attacker can write to an arbitrary file, potentially leading to privilege escalation.

References

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