CVE-2018-2694 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 5.1.32 and Prior to 5.2.6. 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).
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/01/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2694 resides within Oracle VM VirtualBox's Core subcomponent, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity and availability of virtualization environments. This vulnerability affects Oracle VM VirtualBox versions prior to 5.1.32 and 5.2.6, creating a significant risk for organizations relying on virtualization technologies. The flaw's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers with minimal privileges can leverage this weakness to compromise the entire virtualization platform, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where virtual machines are extensively utilized. The CVSS 3.0 score of 8.8 reflects the high severity of this vulnerability, with impacts spanning confidentiality, integrity, and availability, demonstrating the comprehensive nature of potential damage.
The technical nature of CVE-2018-2694 involves a privilege escalation vulnerability that allows low-privileged attackers with logon access to the host infrastructure to gain control over the Oracle VM VirtualBox execution environment. This weakness typically stems from inadequate input validation or improper access controls within the virtualization core components, enabling attackers to manipulate the virtualization layer and potentially escalate their privileges beyond the initial access level. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond the immediate virtualization platform, as successful exploitation can compromise additional products and systems that depend on the virtualized environment. This cascading effect aligns with ATT&CK framework techniques related to privilege escalation and lateral movement within compromised environments.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations utilizing Oracle VM VirtualBox for their virtualization needs, particularly those operating in environments where physical access or local network access might be achievable by malicious actors. The requirement for only low privilege access means that attackers who gain access to the host system through other means can leverage this vulnerability to achieve complete control over the virtualization infrastructure. The confidentiality impact is severe as attackers can potentially access sensitive data stored within virtual machines, while the integrity impact allows for manipulation of virtualized environments and their configurations. The availability impact threatens business continuity by potentially rendering virtualization services inaccessible or compromised, which can cascade into broader operational disruptions.
Organizations should implement immediate remediation measures by upgrading to Oracle VM VirtualBox versions 5.1.32 or 5.2.6, which contain patches addressing this vulnerability. Security configurations should include restricting local access to virtualization hosts and implementing network segmentation to limit potential attack vectors. The vulnerability's characteristics align with CWE-264, which addresses permissions, privileges, and access control issues, emphasizing the importance of proper access control mechanisms within virtualization platforms. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect anomalous behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The mitigation strategy should also include comprehensive security assessments of virtualized environments to identify and address potential secondary vulnerabilities that could be exploited in conjunction with this flaw.