CVE-2014-2441 in VM VirtualBox
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox component in Oracle Virtualization VirtualBox before 4.1.32, 4.2.24, and 4.3.10 allows local users to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability via vectors related to Graphics driver (WDDM) for Windows guests.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-2441 resides within Oracle VM VirtualBox's graphics driver implementation for Windows guest operating systems, specifically affecting versions prior to 4.1.32, 4.2.24, and 4.3.10. This issue represents a critical security flaw in the Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) graphics driver component that operates within the virtualized environment. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability suggests a broad class of weaknesses rather than a specific coding error, indicating that multiple potential attack vectors could exist within the graphics driver subsystem. The vulnerability affects the core virtualization infrastructure by compromising the isolation between the host system and Windows guest environments, potentially allowing malicious code to exploit weaknesses in the graphics rendering pipeline.
The technical flaw manifests through the Windows Display Driver Model implementation within VirtualBox's graphics subsystem, where insufficient input validation and memory management controls exist in the driver code. This weakness enables local attackers within the guest operating system to potentially execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, bypassing normal security boundaries between the virtual machine and the host system. The vulnerability operates at the kernel level of the graphics driver, where memory corruption or privilege escalation opportunities can be exploited to gain unauthorized access to system resources. The WDDM graphics driver for Windows guests presents a particularly dangerous attack surface because it handles direct hardware access and memory management operations that are typically protected from guest-level interference. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 Improper Restriction of Operations within the Memory Space and CWE-20 Improper Input Validation, both of which are fundamental security weaknesses that can lead to privilege escalation and system compromise.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-2441 extends beyond simple confidentiality breaches to encompass complete system compromise through integrity and availability violations. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to execute malicious code with system-level privileges, potentially allowing them to install rootkits, modify system files, or completely disable system functionality. The local nature of the attack means that any user with access to the virtual machine environment can potentially exploit this weakness, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user or shared virtualization environments. The vulnerability can result in persistent backdoors that survive system reboots, complete data loss through file system corruption, or denial of service conditions that prevent legitimate users from accessing virtualized resources. This type of vulnerability directly impacts the fundamental security model of virtualization platforms, where the isolation between guest and host systems is paramount for maintaining security boundaries. The attack can be classified under ATT&CK technique T1055 Process Injection and T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation, demonstrating how graphics driver vulnerabilities can be leveraged for broader system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-2441 require immediate patching of affected VirtualBox versions to the latest releases that contain fixed graphics driver implementations. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all virtualization environments are updated promptly, particularly in enterprise settings where multiple virtual machines may be running vulnerable versions. Additional protective measures include implementing network segmentation to limit access to virtualization infrastructure, disabling unnecessary guest features that might expose additional attack surfaces, and monitoring for suspicious activity in virtual machine environments. Security administrators should also consider implementing virtual machine monitoring tools that can detect anomalous behavior patterns indicative of privilege escalation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date virtualization software and demonstrates how graphics driver implementations can serve as critical attack vectors in virtualized environments. Regular security assessments of virtualization platforms should include thorough examination of graphics driver components, as these elements often receive less attention than core hypervisor code despite their significant security implications. Organizations should also consider implementing micro-segmentation strategies for virtual environments to limit the potential impact of such vulnerabilities and ensure that even if one virtual machine is compromised, the attack cannot easily propagate to other systems.