CVE-2016-5545 in VM VirtualBox
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox component of Oracle Virtualization (subcomponent: GUI). Supported versions that are affected are VirtualBox prior to 5.0.32 and prior to 5.1.14. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle VM VirtualBox. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data and unauthorized ability to cause a partial denial of service (partial DOS) of Oracle VM VirtualBox. CVSS v3.0 Base Score 6.3 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/15/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-5545 resides within the Oracle VM VirtualBox virtualization platform, specifically within its Graphical User Interface component. This weakness affects multiple versions of VirtualBox including those prior to 5.0.32 and 5.1.14, representing a significant security gap in the virtualization ecosystem. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage network-based HTTP access without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous for environments where VirtualBox instances are exposed to untrusted networks. The attack vector requires human interaction from users other than the attacker, suggesting that exploitation typically involves social engineering or phishing techniques to prompt users into interacting with malicious content.
This vulnerability operates through a flaw in the GUI subsystem that processes HTTP requests, allowing attackers to manipulate the virtualization environment through network-based attacks. The technical implementation appears to involve improper input validation or handling of HTTP requests within the VirtualBox interface, potentially enabling attackers to inject malicious code or manipulate the application's behavior. The vulnerability's impact spans multiple security domains as it affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability according to the CVSS v3.0 scoring system. Attackers can achieve unauthorized data modification through update, insert, or delete operations on accessible data within the virtualization environment, while also gaining unauthorized read access to sensitive information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data compromise to include partial denial of service conditions that can disrupt virtual machine operations and reduce overall system availability. The partial denial of service capability means that while complete system failure may not occur, functionality degradation can significantly impact user productivity and system reliability. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that deploy VirtualBox in environments where network exposure is unavoidable, such as development servers, testing environments, or remote access scenarios. The requirement for human interaction suggests that while the technical attack surface is relatively narrow, social engineering remains a critical component of successful exploitation attempts.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the patched versions of VirtualBox 5.0.32 and 5.1.14, which address the underlying GUI processing flaws. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of VirtualBox instances to untrusted networks, while regular security assessments should verify that no unauthorized modifications have occurred. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) and CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) categories, representing weaknesses in input sanitization and access control mechanisms. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and persistence through user interaction, requiring careful monitoring of user activities and system access patterns to detect potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious HTTP traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts against vulnerable VirtualBox installations.