CVE-2014-2477 in VM VirtualBox
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox component in Oracle Virtualization VirtualBox before 3.2.24, 4.0.26, 4.1.34, 4.2.26, and 4.3.12 allows local users to affect integrity and availability via unknown vectors related to Core, a different vulnerability than CVE-2014-2486.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/03/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-2477 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle VM VirtualBox virtualization software that affects multiple version branches including 3.2.x, 4.0.x, 4.1.x, 4.2.x, and 4.3.x releases. This issue resides within the Core component of VirtualBox and specifically impacts the integrity and availability aspects of the virtualization environment, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise deployments where virtual machines serve as foundational infrastructure elements. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified means that the exact technical mechanism remains undisclosed, though it is distinct from CVE-2014-2486, indicating separate attack surfaces within the same software component. The fact that this vulnerability affects local users suggests that exploitation requires physical or administrative access to the host system, but the potential impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation to compromise the entire virtualization infrastructure.
From a technical perspective, the Core component of VirtualBox handles fundamental virtual machine operations including memory management, process scheduling, and hardware abstraction layers that are critical to maintaining system stability and data integrity. When vulnerabilities exist within this core functionality, they can potentially allow attackers to manipulate virtual machine states, corrupt memory structures, or disrupt service availability in ways that affect multiple virtual machines running on the same host. The vulnerability's impact on integrity suggests that malicious actors could modify virtual machine configurations, data, or runtime behaviors without detection, while availability concerns indicate potential denial-of-service scenarios that could bring down entire virtualization environments. This type of vulnerability directly relates to CWE-119 which addresses weaknesses in memory management and buffer overflows that can lead to arbitrary code execution within critical system components.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-2477 extends significantly beyond individual virtual machine compromise, as it can affect entire virtualization infrastructures that organizations rely upon for cloud computing, development testing, and production environments. Organizations utilizing older versions of VirtualBox may experience cascading failures where a single compromised host can affect multiple virtual machines, potentially leading to data corruption, service outages, and extended recovery periods. The vulnerability's presence in multiple release branches means that even organizations that have upgraded some components may still remain exposed if they maintain legacy versions in their infrastructure. Security teams must consider the potential for lateral movement within virtualized environments, where exploitation of this vulnerability could provide attackers with persistent access to multiple virtual machines that share common host resources.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-2477 primarily focus on immediate version upgrades to patched releases including VirtualBox 3.2.24, 4.0.26, 4.1.34, 4.2.26, and 4.3.12, which contain the necessary security fixes. System administrators should implement comprehensive patch management policies that ensure all virtualization components remain current with security updates, particularly given the vulnerability's impact on core virtualization functionality. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit local user privileges on virtualization hosts, as the vulnerability's local exploitation requirement means that unauthorized access to host systems represents a primary attack vector. Monitoring and logging of virtual machine activities should be enhanced to detect anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts, while incident response procedures should be updated to address potential integrity and availability compromises in virtualized environments. The vulnerability's characteristics align with ATT&CK technique T1059 which involves executing malicious code through legitimate system tools, making traditional endpoint protection measures insufficient for preventing exploitation in virtualized environments where the attack surface includes the hypervisor itself.
The broader implications of this vulnerability demonstrate the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date virtualization infrastructure and understanding that vulnerabilities in hypervisor components can have far-reaching consequences across entire IT ecosystems. Organizations should conduct regular vulnerability assessments specifically targeting their virtualization environments, as these components often serve as primary attack targets due to their central role in modern computing infrastructures. The vulnerability's classification as affecting both integrity and availability underscores the need for comprehensive security frameworks that address not only traditional cybersecurity concerns but also infrastructure-level threats that can compromise the fundamental operational capabilities of virtualized systems.