Parallels Desktop is the dominant hypervisor for running Windows and Linux on macOS. It emulates guest hardware in host-side processes (the escape surface) and offers deep macOS integration (Shared Folders, Shared Profile, clipboard, drag-and-drop) that reaches the host directly. It is a recurring Pwn2Own target, where guest-to-host escapes against it are regularly demonstrated.
Subtopics#
- Guest to host escape: breaking out through device emulation.
- Shared folder and clipboard abuse: reaching host files through integration.
- Known escape exploits: named Parallels breakouts.