CVE-2017-3576 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. Easily "exploitable" vulnerability allows low 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 takeover of Oracle VM VirtualBox. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 8.8 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/28/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-3576 resides within Oracle VM VirtualBox's Core subcomponent, representing a critical security flaw that affects multiple versions of the virtualization platform. This vulnerability operates at the infrastructure level where Oracle VM VirtualBox executes, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by attackers who already possess low-privileged access to the underlying system. The CVSS 3.0 score of 8.8 indicates a high severity threat with impacts spanning confidentiality, integrity, and availability, reflecting the potential for complete system compromise. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable means that sophisticated attack techniques are not required, making it accessible to a broader range of threat actors.
The technical nature of this flaw involves a privilege escalation mechanism that allows an attacker with minimal system access to gain elevated privileges within the VirtualBox environment. This typically occurs through improper access controls or insufficient input validation within the Core component that manages virtual machine operations. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond the immediate VirtualBox application as it can compromise additional Oracle products that rely on or interact with the virtualization infrastructure. This cascading effect demonstrates the interconnected nature of modern virtualized environments where a single point of failure can propagate throughout an organization's IT ecosystem.
Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can achieve complete takeover of the Oracle VM VirtualBox instance, potentially gaining access to all virtual machines managed by the compromised system. The low attack complexity and local access requirement mean that attackers who have already established a foothold on the host system can leverage this flaw to escalate their privileges and gain deeper control over the virtualization infrastructure. This scenario particularly concerns organizations that rely heavily on virtualized environments for their operations, as the compromise of a single virtualization host can result in widespread impact across multiple virtual machines and potentially the entire virtualized infrastructure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond immediate system compromise to include potential data breaches, service disruption, and regulatory compliance violations. Organizations utilizing Oracle VM VirtualBox in production environments face significant risk from this vulnerability, particularly those that do not maintain up-to-date security patches. The vulnerability's presence in versions prior to 5.0.38 and 5.1.20 indicates that a substantial portion of the user base was potentially exposed, making this a widespread concern for enterprise security teams. The CVSS vector analysis reveals that while local access is required for exploitation, the resulting impact is severe enough to warrant immediate remediation efforts.
Security mitigations for CVE-2017-3576 primarily focus on implementing the appropriate version updates provided by Oracle, specifically upgrading to VirtualBox versions 5.0.38 or 5.1.20 and later. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit local access to VirtualBox hosts and establish robust monitoring for unusual privilege escalation activities. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and may also relate to CWE-798 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials) if the flaw involves hardcoded access controls. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and potentially to the use of valid accounts for lateral movement. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any other systems that might be vulnerable due to similar access control flaws, ensuring that the remediation efforts extend beyond just the immediate VirtualBox installation to encompass the broader virtualization ecosystem.