# CVE-2026-90894: Parallels Desktop local privilege escalation via appliance extract argument injection

CVE-2026-90894 is fixed in Parallels Desktop on 1 platform by Parallels Desktop 26.4.1 (version 26.4.1), released August 3, 2026. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: High.

- Web page: https://patchblox.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-90894
- Priority: High
- CVSS: 7.8
- EPSS: 0.0017
- CISA KEV: not listed
- Exploited (vendor report): no
- Publicly disclosed: no
- Published: Sep 14, 2026
- Weakness: CWE-88: Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection')
- Vendor advisory: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-90894

## Description

Parallels Desktop runs prl_disp_service as root. Local clients reach it on the world-writable socket /var/run/prl_disp_service.socket. PrlSrv_LoginLocal accepts peer credentials. No Parallels signature. No admin group.    After login, PrlSrv_InstallAppliance lets you pick the appliance folder (sVmParentPath). The daemon unpacks with one string, tar -xf "%1" -C "%2", then Qt QProcess::splitCommand chops that string into words. A quote in the folder name closes early. The leftover text becomes extra tar flags. macOS tar --use-compress-program= runs the named program as root.

## Where it's fixed

| Platform | Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| macOS | Parallels Desktop | 26.4.1 | [Parallels Desktop 26.4.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/macos/com.parallels.desktop.console-26.4.1.md) | Aug 3, 2026 |

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Data as of 2026-11-09T07:25:28Z UTC. Source: Patchblox Patch Radar (https://patchblox.com/security/patch-radar). Patchblox finds out-of-date software on Windows, macOS and Linux and updates it through release rings: https://patchblox.com/demo

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