CVE-2017-3513 in VM VirtualBox
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox component of Oracle Virtualization (subcomponent: Core). Supported versions that are affected are Prior to 5.0.38 and Prior to 5.1.20. Difficult to exploit 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 read access to a subset of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 2.5 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/20/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-3513 resides within Oracle VM VirtualBox's Core subcomponent, representing a significant security weakness that affects versions prior to 5.0.38 and 5.1.20. This flaw operates as a privilege escalation vulnerability that requires an attacker to possess valid login credentials for the host infrastructure where VirtualBox operates, making it a high-privilege attack vector. The vulnerability's classification as difficult to exploit indicates that while it requires specific conditions and access levels, successful exploitation can yield substantial compromise of the virtualization environment. The CVSS 3.0 score of 2.5 reflects the relatively limited impact scope but emphasizes the confidentiality implications that could affect sensitive virtual machine data.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls within the VirtualBox Core component, allowing an authenticated attacker with local system privileges to bypass normal security boundaries. This represents a classic case of inadequate privilege separation where the attacker can leverage their existing access to gain unauthorized read access to a subset of virtual machine data that should normally be protected. The vulnerability's operational characteristics align with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues, and demonstrates how insufficient authorization checks can create pathways for data leakage within virtualized environments. The attack requires local system access, meaning the threat actor must already have some level of system compromise or legitimate administrative access to the host machine running VirtualBox.
The impact of successful exploitation extends beyond the immediate VirtualBox environment and can potentially affect additional Oracle products that may share underlying components or data structures. This cascading effect highlights the interconnected nature of virtualization security and demonstrates how vulnerabilities in one component can create broader security implications. The confidentiality impact level of CVSS 3.0 indicates that attackers can access sensitive data without modifying or destroying it, which is particularly concerning in virtualized environments where multiple virtual machines may share common storage or memory resources. The security implications are further amplified by the fact that virtualization platforms often serve as central points for enterprise computing infrastructure, making them attractive targets for persistent attackers seeking to access multiple systems through a single compromise.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including upgrading to VirtualBox versions 5.0.38 or later, or 5.1.20 or later, depending on their current deployment. System administrators should also enforce strict access controls and monitoring of host systems where VirtualBox operates, implementing principle of least privilege where possible. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework would fall under privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting local system access and credential compromise. Additional defensive measures include network segmentation of virtualization hosts, regular security assessments of virtual environments, and implementation of intrusion detection systems to monitor for unusual access patterns. Organizations should also consider implementing virtual machine monitoring tools that can detect unauthorized data access attempts and provide alerts when suspicious activities occur, particularly in environments where multiple virtual machines share common infrastructure resources.