CVE-2024-54189

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.

Weakness

The product, when opening a file or directory, does not sufficiently account for when the name is associated with a hard link to a target that is outside of the intended control sphere. This could allow an attacker to cause the product to operate on unauthorized files.

Potential Mitigations

• Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system.
• Denying access to a file can prevent an attacker from replacing that file with a link to a sensitive file. Ensure good compartmentalization in the system to provide protected areas that can be trusted.

References

• https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2024-2124
• https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2024-2124
• https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2024-2124