CVE-2016-5611 in VM VirtualBox
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox component before 5.0.28 and 5.1.x before 5.1.8 in Oracle Virtualization allows local users to affect confidentiality via vectors related to Core.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/26/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-5611 resides within Oracle VM VirtualBox virtualization software, specifically affecting versions prior to 5.0.28 and 5.1.8. This represents a critical security flaw that impacts the core functionality of the virtualization platform, potentially allowing local attackers to compromise the confidentiality of data within virtualized environments. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability's exact vector makes it particularly concerning as it could encompass multiple attack surfaces within the VirtualBox core components.
This vulnerability falls under the category of information disclosure flaws and aligns with CWE-200, which addresses the exposure of sensitive information. The issue specifically affects the core components of VirtualBox, suggesting that the flaw may involve memory management, process isolation, or privilege escalation mechanisms within the hypervisor layer. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could potentially access confidential data from other virtual machines or the host system, undermining the fundamental security isolation that virtualization platforms are designed to provide.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-5611 extends beyond simple data theft, as it represents a potential pathway for attackers to establish persistent access within virtualized environments. Local users with access to the VirtualBox host system could leverage this vulnerability to extract sensitive information from running virtual machines, potentially including credentials, personal data, or proprietary business information. The implications are particularly severe in enterprise environments where multiple virtual machines may be running on a single host system, creating a potential attack surface that could be exploited to compromise entire virtualized infrastructures.
The attack vector for this vulnerability is classified as local privilege escalation or information disclosure within the VirtualBox environment, which maps to ATT&CK technique T1068. This means that an attacker with local access to a system running vulnerable VirtualBox software could potentially exploit the flaw without requiring network-based attacks or complex external exploitation. The vulnerability affects both the 5.0.x and 5.1.x release lines, indicating that it was a significant issue that required immediate attention across multiple version streams of the VirtualBox platform.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to patched versions of VirtualBox, specifically versions 5.0.28 or 5.1.8 and later. System administrators should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any systems running vulnerable versions and ensure that all virtualization environments are properly secured. Additional mitigations may include implementing network segmentation, monitoring for suspicious virtual machine activity, and ensuring that only authorized users have access to systems running VirtualBox software. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of keeping virtualization platforms updated, as these components often serve as central points of attack in enterprise environments where multiple virtual machines are consolidated on single hosts.