CVE-2021-34986: Parallels Desktop

High severity, CVSS 7.8. EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of Parallels Desktop 16.5.0 (49183). An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the Parallels Service. By creating a symbolic link, an attacker can abuse the service to execute a file. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of root. Was ZDI-CAN-13932.

Affected products

• Parallels Parallels Desktop: version 16.5.0 only

Published 2022-07-15. Last modified 2026-06-17.