CybersecurityVulnerability Management

Parallels Desktop Flaw Exposes Macs to Root Access

Analyst 207||Source: TheHackerNews
Mac computer on a cluttered desk with Parallels Desktop window open.

CVE-2026-90894 allows an ordinary local account to run code as root on a Mac with Parallels Desktop, JFrog's vulnerability team reported.

How ParaShells elevates a local user to root

JFrog published the finding as ParaShells and assigned it CVE-2026-90894, rating the issue 7.8 out of 10. Research lead Yuval Moravchick showed that Parallels Desktop installs a background service, prl_disp_service, that runs as root to perform actions such as setting up host networking and unpacking virtual-machine packages. On the machine JFrog tested the service listened on a world-writable socket. That combination — a root service with an exposed socket — is the core of the attack.

The vulnerability sequence JFrog describes is specific and local: the service accepts a connection and calls PrlSrv_LoginLocal, which "checks only the credentials the kernel reports for the connecting process." PrlSrv_LoginLocal needs no Parallels code signature and accepts a connection from a non-administrator account. To install a virtual appliance the service builds an unpack command as a single string, tar -xf "%1" -C "%2", then splits it with Qt's QProcess::splitCommand. Because the caller selects the destination folder, a crafted folder name containing a double quote closes the quote early and converts the remainder into extra tar options. JFrog used the --use-compress-program option so tar would invoke a helper program as root; its test script then wrote a passwordless sudo rule and opened a root shell.

What JFrog tested and what stays in scope

JFrog demonstrated the exploit on Parallels Desktop 26.4.0, build 57513, on a Mac with an Apple silicon chip and said a normal install already supplies all prerequisites: Parallels installed, the dispatcher service running with its socket present, and a low-privileged local account. No virtual machine needed to be running. JFrog also warned that it "did not regression-test every older build for this writeup" and told readers to "Treat any Desktop install that still exposes the same InstallAppliance extract template and world-writable dispatcher socket as in scope."

Which builds contain the fix — and which machines cannot install it

JFrog says the change that fixes the flaw is in Parallels Desktop 27 and lists everything below 27.0.0 as affected, and its writeup names 27.0.0 as the fixed version. JFrog's disclosure timeline gives 1 September 2026 as the day the fix shipped in 27.0.0, while Parallels' release notes place 27.0.0 on 25 August 2026 and 27.0.1 on 1 September 2026. Installing the newest release in that line covers both readings, because 27.0.1, build 58670, shipped after both dates. Parallels has not published a statement about CVE-2026-90894 and offers no vendor-side record tying the CVE to a build.

Crucially, Parallels Desktop 27 requires Apple silicon and lists Apple silicon only for the processor and macOS Sonoma 14.7 or newer for the operating system. Parallels removed Intel Mac support in version 27 — it says that change follows Apple's plans — and macOS 26 Tahoe was the last macOS built for Intel Macs. Parallels tells Intel users to stay on the 26.x line and wrote on 25 August that "Parallels Desktop 26 fully supports Intel-based Mac computers today, and that will not change," adding Intel users can keep using version 26 and "expect future security and maintenance updates." JFrog, however, says "Hosts that stay on the 26.x line, including 26.4.2, do not have that extract change."

How to check exposure and mitigate immediately

JFrog provides two read-only commands to check a Mac:

  • defaults read "/Applications/Parallels Desktop.app/Contents/Info" CFBundleShortVersionString
  • ls -l /var/run/prl_disp_service.socket

JFrog says a socket listing that shows srwxrwxrwx on a build at or near 26.4.0 should be treated as exposed until a patched build is confirmed. Both commands indicate exposure only; neither indicates whether the flaw has been exploited. JFrog's immediate advice is to limit who can log in locally, and to inventory every Mac in an organization that has Parallels Desktop installed. Administrators who push updates via device management should review version rules: Parallels warns that a policy that automatically installs new major versions will attempt to push 27 to Intel Macs and fail, and it advises keeping those devices on 26.

What this means for technologists, enterprises, and end users

  • Technologists and security teams: Validate installed Parallels versions with the commands above, check dispatcher-socket permissions, and treat local accounts on exposed hosts as high risk. JFrog notes that code running as a normal user — for example a malicious Homebrew formula, a poisoned npm install script, or a compromised build job — would suffice to reach the service.
  • Enterprises and procurement teams: Intel-based Macs cannot run Parallels Desktop 27 and therefore, per JFrog, do not receive the extract change. Parallels has not said whether the fix will be backported to the 26.x line or set any date for doing so; until that is confirmed, Intel Macs on 26 remain without a JFrog-described fix.
  • End users and shared-lab operators: Limit low-privilege local accounts on machines with Parallels installed, and inventory machines with the product. JFrog warns that an attacker who reaches root may persist through launchd, which a product update would not necessarily clear.

Until Parallels publishes a vendor record tying CVE-2026-90894 to a specific build and confirms whether 26.x will receive the change, the paper trail left by JFrog points to a narrow but concrete dilemma: Apple-silicon hosts can move to Parallels Desktop 27 (27.0.1 build 58670 is the newest listed) to obtain the stated fix, while Intel-based Macs — told to remain on 26 — are, by JFrog's account, left without a confirmed repair. That gap, and whether Parallels will backport the extract-change to 26, are the questions organizations with mixed Mac fleets must now answer.

Source: The Hacker News — Parallels Desktop flaw report

Emerging ThreatsLocal Privilege EscalationRoot AccessMac VulnerabilityParallels DesktopCVE-2026-90894Virtualization Security
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