CVE-2025-30074

Root privilege escalation via VM creation routine

Published Mar 16, 2025 · Updated Mar 17, 2025

Incorrect authorization in Parallels Desktop before 19.4.2 and 20.x before 20.2.2 allows local users to gain root access. The macOS VM creation routine performs an incorrect authorization operation that grants root privileges, but Parallels has not published the faulty function or input path. Exploitation requires low-privileged access to an Intel Mac and creation of a new macOS VM; Apple-silicon Macs, existing VMs, and the App Store edition are unaffected.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.12%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Incorrect authorization in Parallels Desktop before 19.4.2 and 20.x before 20.2.2 allows local users to gain root access. The macOS VM creation routine performs an incorrect authorization operation that grants root privileges, but Parallels has not published the faulty function or input path. Exploitation requires low-privileged access to an Intel Mac and creation of a new macOS VM; Apple-silicon Macs, existing VMs, and the App Store edition are unaffected.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-30074
Published
Mar 16, 2025
Updated
Mar 17, 2025
Vendor
Parallels
Product
Parallels Desktop
Classifications
CWE-863, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 16, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Mar 17, 2025Record 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=19.3.1 <19.4.2
  2. Affected versionversion=20.0.0 <20.2.2

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Parallels · Parallels Desktopversion=19.3.1 <19.4.2; version=20.0.0 <20.2.2

Published CVSS scores

7.8MITRE CNACVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

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
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-863Incorrect Authorization
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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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