CVE-2017-10240 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-2017-10240 resides within Oracle VM VirtualBox's Core subcomponent, representing a critical security flaw that affects versions prior to 5.1.24. This vulnerability operates at a privileged level within the virtualization environment, requiring an attacker to already possess legitimate login credentials to the host infrastructure where VirtualBox executes. The security implications extend beyond the immediate VirtualBox application as the compromise can potentially impact other associated products within the Oracle Virtualization ecosystem. The CVSS 3.0 scoring system assigns this vulnerability a base score of 7.3, indicating a high severity threat that affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability aspects of the system. The attack vector is classified as local access with low complexity and high privileges required, suggesting that attackers must already have established access to the underlying infrastructure before exploiting this weakness.
This vulnerability manifests as a flaw in the core virtualization engine that governs how VirtualBox processes certain input data structures. The technical implementation appears to involve inadequate validation of input parameters within the virtualization layer, creating opportunities for memory corruption or improper handling of specific data sequences. The vulnerability's exploitation pathway enables attackers to execute code within the VirtualBox execution context, potentially allowing for privilege escalation or lateral movement within the host environment. The attack requires minimal user interaction as it operates through legitimate system interfaces, making detection more challenging for security monitoring systems. The vulnerability's classification under CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) would likely fall within categories related to input validation failures or memory safety issues, specifically addressing improper handling of data within virtualization contexts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple system availability concerns, as successful exploitation can lead to complete denial of service conditions that permanently disable VirtualBox functionality. Beyond the immediate DOS capability, attackers can manipulate data within the virtualization environment through unauthorized update, insert, or delete operations, potentially corrupting virtual machine configurations or compromising guest operating system integrity. The confidentiality aspect reveals that attackers can access sensitive data within VirtualBox's accessible scope, potentially exposing virtual machine configurations, guest operating system information, or other privileged data. The availability impact is particularly severe as the vulnerability can cause system instability through frequent crashes or complete system hangs, disrupting virtualization services and potentially affecting multiple virtual machines simultaneously.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including applying the vendor-provided patch for Oracle VM VirtualBox version 5.1.24 or later, which addresses the core validation issues within the affected component. Network segmentation and privilege separation should be enforced to limit the potential impact of compromised credentials, ensuring that even if an attacker gains access to one system, they cannot easily propagate to other virtualization infrastructure. Monitoring solutions should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns in VirtualBox process behavior, including unexpected crashes, memory allocation anomalies, or unauthorized configuration changes. The vulnerability's characteristics align with ATT&CK framework techniques related to privilege escalation and defense evasion, particularly when attackers leverage the compromised VirtualBox instance to establish persistence or conduct further reconnaissance. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in virtualization environments, ensuring comprehensive protection against both known and emerging threats in the virtualization security landscape.