CVE-2017-10210 in VM VirtualBox
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox component of Oracle Virtualization (subcomponent: Core). The supported version that is affected is Prior to 5.1.24. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows high privileged attacker with logon to the infrastructure where Oracle VM VirtualBox executes to compromise Oracle VM VirtualBox. While the vulnerability is in Oracle VM VirtualBox, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized ability to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) of Oracle VM VirtualBox as well as unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data and unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 7.3 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/03/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-10210 resides within Oracle VM VirtualBox's Core subcomponent, representing a critical security flaw that affects versions prior to 5.1.24. This vulnerability operates within the broader context of virtualization security where the integrity of the hypervisor directly impacts the security posture of all virtual machines hosted on that platform. The affected Oracle VM VirtualBox component serves as the foundational core that manages virtual machine execution, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to establish persistent control over virtualized environments. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers with legitimate access to the host infrastructure can leverage this flaw without requiring sophisticated techniques or extensive reconnaissance.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and memory management within the VirtualBox Core component, creating opportunities for privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution. Attackers with high privileged access can exploit this weakness to cause complete denial of service conditions that result in system hangs or repeated crashes, effectively rendering the virtualization platform unusable. The flaw manifests through improper handling of certain input parameters that allows malicious actors to manipulate the virtual machine execution environment, potentially leading to unauthorized modifications of critical system data. According to the CVSS 3.0 scoring system, this vulnerability presents a significant risk with a base score of 7.3, indicating high availability impact and moderate confidentiality and integrity impacts, which aligns with the potential for complete system compromise.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-10210 extends beyond the immediate VirtualBox platform, as attacks can significantly affect additional Oracle products and the broader virtualization ecosystem. This cascading effect occurs because VirtualBox serves as a foundational component in many enterprise virtualization deployments, making successful exploitation a potential gateway for broader security breaches. The vulnerability enables attackers to perform unauthorized updates, inserts, and deletions on sensitive data within the virtualization environment, while also providing unauthorized read access to subsets of accessible data. This dual impact on data integrity and confidentiality creates serious concerns for organizations that rely on VirtualBox for development, testing, or production environments where data protection and system availability are paramount. The compromise of virtualization infrastructure can lead to widespread consequences including data leakage, service disruption, and potential lateral movement within network environments.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to Oracle VM VirtualBox version 5.1.24 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit the attack surface and prevent unauthorized access to virtualization infrastructure. Regular security assessments of virtualization environments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities and ensure proper patch management processes are in place. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and follows ATT&CK tactics related to privilege escalation and defense evasion. System administrators should monitor for suspicious activities that may indicate exploitation attempts, including unusual system crashes or unauthorized access patterns to virtual machine configurations. Given the high privilege requirements for exploitation, organizations should also review and enforce least privilege principles for administrative access to virtualization platforms to minimize potential impact from similar vulnerabilities.