Privilege Escalation via Parallels Appliance Extract Argument Injection
Identifies the Parallels Desktop root dispatcher (prl_disp_service) spawning tar/bsdtar with more arguments than its fixed extract command uses. The dispatcher always runs a 5-token command (tar -xf <archive> -C…
Description
Identifies the Parallels Desktop root dispatcher (prl_disp_service) spawning tar/bsdtar with more arguments than its fixed extract command uses. The dispatcher always runs a 5-token command (tar -xf <archive> -C <dir>), so any additional arguments indicate an attacker-controlled folder name injecting extra tar flags. On macOS these flags let tar read or write attacker-chosen paths or execute an external program as root, resulting in local privilege escalation (CVE-2026-90894, Parallels Desktop < 27.0.0).
Detection logic
Its licence does not clear it for publishing here
Sunturai publishes a detection's own text where the licence it arrived under has been reviewed and permits it, and Elastic License 2.0 has not. The query as its source wrote it, its canonical form and the hash that pins this revision are in the workspace record.
Detection requirements
- Platform
- ContainersLinuxmacOSWindows
The rule states no platform. This is derived from the 2 ATT&CK techniques it maps to.
MITRE ATT&CK mappings
0 exclusive techniques.This is coverage no other published rule has; it is not this rule's total technique count.
References
| Reference | Cited by |
|---|---|
| research.jfrog.com/vulnerabilities/parallels-desktop-is-vulnerable-to-a-local-privilege-escalation-via-appliance-extract-argument-injection-cve-2026-90894/ | Only this detection cites it |
| www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-90894 | Only this detection cites it |
From the source
- At source
- Open at source
- Upstream identifier
- 448dbe05-07b1-46bb-b3e3-ac9790387948
- Tagged by the source as
- Data Source: Elastic DefendDomain: EndpointOS: macOSPlatform: macOSResources: Investigation GuideRule Type: ESQLTactic: Defense EvasionTactic: Privilege EscalationUse Case: Threat DetectionUse Case: VulnerabilityVuln: CVE-2026-90894
Licence
- Published under
- Elastic License 2.0Read the licence
- Attribution
- Required
Authorship
- Written by
- Published
- Sep 29, 2026
- Version
- 1