CVE-2024-54189 in Parallels
Summary
by MITRE • 06/03/2025
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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/03/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-54189 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within Parallels Desktop for Mac version 20.1.1 build 55740, specifically affecting the snapshot functionality of virtual machines. This issue stems from improper file access controls during the snapshot creation process where a root-level service attempts to write to files that should remain protected from user manipulation. The flaw occurs when the system creates a snapshot of a virtual machine, triggering a background process that operates with elevated privileges to handle file operations. During this operation, the root service writes to a file that is owned by a regular user account, creating an exploitable condition where file permissions are not properly enforced between privileged and unprivileged contexts.
The technical exploitation mechanism leverages symbolic linking techniques to bypass normal file access restrictions. Attackers can create a hard link to the target file that the root service intends to modify, effectively allowing them to write to arbitrary locations on the filesystem. This hard link manipulation creates a race condition where the attacker can control what file receives the write operations from the privileged process. The vulnerability directly relates to CWE-276, which describes inadequate file permissions and improper access control, and can be categorized under CWE-787, representing out-of-bounds writes that occur when a program writes to memory beyond the boundaries of a buffer. The underlying issue demonstrates a classic privilege escalation vector where a service running with root privileges fails to properly validate file access permissions during critical operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to potentially enable full system compromise. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain root access to the host system, allowing them to modify critical system files, install persistent backdoors, or escalate their privileges to access sensitive data. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that Parallels Desktop is widely used in enterprise environments where virtualization is common, making this vulnerability a prime target for sophisticated attackers. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers 'Local Privilege Escalation' and T1548.001, covering 'Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism', as it exploits the legitimate privilege escalation paths within the virtualization software to gain unauthorized access to elevated system resources.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of the affected Parallels Desktop version, as well as implementing additional security controls such as file system monitoring for unauthorized hard link creation. System administrators should consider implementing mandatory access controls and file integrity monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper privilege separation and input validation in system services that operate with elevated permissions. Organizations should also conduct security assessments to identify similar privilege escalation vectors in other virtualization platforms and ensure that all services running with elevated privileges properly validate file access operations and implement proper access control mechanisms. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous file system activity that might indicate exploitation attempts.