CVE-2023-27326Public exploit

Host code execution via crash-dump path traversal

Published May 3, 2024 · Updated Sep 18, 2024

Path traversal in Parallels Desktop before 18.1.1 allows local users with privileged guest access to write files on the macOS host. The Toolgate crash-dump handler concatenates a guest-controlled process name with the GuestDumps directory, and an embedded null truncates the suffix before QFile writes attacker-supplied data. Exploitation requires high-privileged code execution inside a guest and can overwrite host-user files, enabling code execution as that host user.

CVSS severity8.2
High
EPSS probability1.26%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Path traversal in Parallels Desktop before 18.1.1 allows local users with privileged guest access to write files on the macOS host. The Toolgate crash-dump handler concatenates a guest-controlled process name with the GuestDumps directory, and an embedded null truncates the suffix before QFile writes attacker-supplied data. Exploitation requires high-privileged code execution inside a guest and can overwrite host-user files, enabling code execution as that host user.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-27326
Published
May 3, 2024
Updated
Sep 18, 2024
Vendor
Parallels
Product
Parallels Desktop
Classifications
CWE-22, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 3, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 18, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=0 <18.1.1
  2. Affected versionversion=18.0.2 (53077)

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

Parallels · Parallels Desktopversion=0 <18.1.1; version=18.0.2 (53077)

Published CVSS scores

8.2Zero Day InitiativeCVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesadmin
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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