CVE-2014-0404 in VM VirtualBox
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox component in Oracle Virtualization VirtualBox prior to 3.2.20, 4.0.22, 4.1.30, 4.2.20, and 4.3.4 allows local users to affect integrity and availability via unknown vectors related to Core, a different vulnerability than CVE-2014-0406.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/07/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-0404 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle VM VirtualBox's core architecture that affected multiple version branches prior to specific patch releases. This issue resides within the Oracle Virtualization VirtualBox component and demonstrates the inherent risks present in virtualization software where core system components can be exploited to compromise system integrity and availability. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified indicates that the exact technical mechanism remains undisclosed, though it is confirmed to be related to the Core component of VirtualBox and distinct from CVE-2014-0406, suggesting separate attack vectors or exploitation techniques. The affected versions span across major release lines including 3.2.x, 4.0.x, 4.1.x, 4.2.x, and 4.3.x, indicating a widespread impact across the VirtualBox product family and highlighting the critical nature of the underlying flaw.
The technical nature of this vulnerability allows local attackers to manipulate system integrity and availability through unspecified vectors that specifically target the Core component of VirtualBox. This suggests that the flaw may involve memory corruption, privilege escalation, or resource management issues within the virtualization layer that could enable attackers to modify system behavior or cause system instability. The Core component typically handles fundamental virtualization functions including hypervisor operations, memory management, and system resource allocation, making it a prime target for exploitation. The unspecified nature of the vectors indicates that attackers could potentially leverage various methods including buffer overflows, use-after-free conditions, or other memory-related vulnerabilities to achieve their objectives. From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 which encompasses weaknesses in memory safety and improper access to memory, and potentially CWE-399 which addresses resource management issues.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-0404 extends beyond simple availability disruption to include potential integrity compromise, which could allow attackers to modify virtual machine configurations, access sensitive data, or manipulate the underlying host system. Local users with access to the virtualization environment could exploit this vulnerability to gain elevated privileges or cause system instability that affects multiple virtual machines running on the same host. The implications are particularly severe in enterprise environments where VirtualBox is used for development, testing, or deployment of applications, as attackers could potentially compromise the integrity of entire virtualized infrastructures. The vulnerability's presence across multiple version branches suggests that organizations using older VirtualBox installations face significant risk, as patching may not be immediate or comprehensive across all deployment scenarios. This situation aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers exploit for privilege escalation, and T1499 which addresses network disruption and system availability compromise.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including immediate patching of all affected VirtualBox versions to the recommended secure releases, which include 3.2.20, 4.0.22, 4.1.30, 4.2.20, and 4.3.4. System administrators should conduct comprehensive inventory checks to identify all installations of vulnerable VirtualBox versions across their infrastructure and prioritize remediation efforts. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit local user access to virtualization environments, reducing the attack surface for potential exploitation. Additionally, monitoring systems should be configured to detect anomalous behavior in virtualization environments that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date virtualization software and implementing proper security controls around virtual machine management. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing of virtualization environments should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in the virtualization stack, ensuring comprehensive protection against both known and emerging threats in virtualized computing environments.