CVE-2017-3290 in VM VirtualBox
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox component of Oracle Virtualization (subcomponent: Shared Folder). Supported versions that are affected are VirtualBox prior to 5.0.32 and prior to 5.1.14. 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 creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data and unauthorized ability to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) of Oracle VM VirtualBox. CVSS v3.0 Base Score 7.9 (Integrity and Availability impacts).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/15/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-3290 resides within Oracle VM VirtualBox's Shared Folder functionality, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity and availability of virtualized environments. This vulnerability affects specific versions of Oracle VirtualBox including those prior to 5.0.32 and 5.1.14, making it a persistent threat to organizations relying on virtualization technologies. The flaw operates within the VirtualBox component that manages shared folder operations between host and guest operating systems, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the system through legitimate administrative access.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and privilege escalation mechanisms within the shared folder implementation. Attackers with high-privileged access to the host infrastructure where VirtualBox operates can leverage this weakness to gain unauthorized access to critical data within the virtualized environment. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that minimal technical expertise or resources are required to successfully compromise the system, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrative privileges are not properly restricted. This flaw operates under the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) category CWE-20, which encompasses "Improper Input Validation" and related privilege escalation issues.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-3290 extends beyond the immediate VirtualBox environment, potentially affecting additional Oracle products and systems that rely on virtualization technologies. Successful exploitation can result in unauthorized modification of critical data, complete deletion of shared folder contents, or unauthorized creation of malicious files within the virtualized environment. The vulnerability's ability to cause complete denial of service through system hangs or frequent crashes represents a severe availability threat that can disrupt business operations and compromise the reliability of virtualized infrastructure. Organizations utilizing VirtualBox for mission-critical applications face significant risk of data compromise and service disruption when this vulnerability remains unpatched.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the vendor-provided patches for VirtualBox versions 5.0.32 and 5.1.14, which address the underlying privilege escalation and input validation flaws. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit administrative access to VirtualBox environments, reducing the attack surface for potential exploitation. The vulnerability's CVSS v3.0 base score of 7.9 reflects its high severity and the significant impact it can have on both data integrity and system availability. Organizations should also consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized access attempts or unusual activities within their virtualized environments. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation and persistence tactics, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security controls that address both the immediate vulnerability and broader attack surface considerations.