CVE-2013-3792 in VM VirtualBox
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox component in Oracle Virtualization VirtualBox prior to 3.2.18, 4.0.20, 4.1.28, and 4.2.18 allows local users to affect availability via unknown vectors related to Core.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/15/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-3792 affects Oracle VM VirtualBox components across multiple version ranges, specifically impacting versions prior to 3.2.18, 4.0.20, 4.1.28, and 4.2.18. This unspecified weakness resides within the core functionality of the virtualization platform, representing a critical security gap that could compromise system availability. The vulnerability classification indicates a local privilege escalation scenario where an attacker with access to the system can manipulate the virtualization core to disrupt service availability, potentially leading to complete system unavailability. Such flaws in virtualization platforms pose significant risks as they can affect the underlying host system and all virtual machines running on it.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from unspecified vectors related to the core component of VirtualBox, which suggests a fundamental flaw in how the virtualization engine processes certain operations. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability could fall under categories related to resource management failures or core component weaknesses, potentially manifesting as memory corruption issues or improper handling of virtualized resources. The core component of VirtualBox is responsible for managing virtual machine execution, memory allocation, and hardware abstraction, making any weakness in this area particularly dangerous for availability and system stability. The unspecified nature of the vectors indicates that the exact technical mechanism remains undocumented, which is common with zero-day vulnerabilities or those discovered through internal analysis rather than public disclosure.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-3792 extends beyond simple service disruption, potentially allowing local attackers to cause complete system unavailability through manipulation of the virtualization core. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability to crash virtual machines, freeze the host system, or cause resource exhaustion that prevents normal operation of the virtualization environment. This type of availability compromise directly impacts business continuity and can result in significant downtime for organizations relying on virtualized infrastructure. The vulnerability's presence in multiple version ranges indicates a persistent flaw that affected various generations of the VirtualBox platform, suggesting either a fundamental architectural issue or inadequate patching across different release branches. Organizations using older VirtualBox versions face increased risk of system compromise and service disruption.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected VirtualBox installations to versions 3.2.18, 4.0.20, 4.1.28, and 4.2.18 depending on the specific version in use. System administrators should prioritize updating all VirtualBox installations across their infrastructure, particularly in environments where multiple virtual machines are running. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect potential exploitation attempts targeting virtualization components, as outlined in ATT&CK framework's T1499 technique for network denial of service. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit local access to virtualization hosts and establish strict access controls for system administrators. Regular vulnerability assessments should include virtualization platform scanning to identify unpatched systems. The remediation process must be carefully planned to avoid disrupting running virtual machines during patch deployment, and organizations should maintain backup procedures for rapid recovery in case of patch-related issues. Additionally, implementing monitoring solutions that track virtualization core resource usage and system stability metrics can help detect exploitation attempts before complete system compromise occurs.