CVE-2018-2830 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 5.1.36 and Prior to 5.2.10. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with logon to the infrastructure where Oracle VM VirtualBox executes to compromise Oracle VM VirtualBox. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker and 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 8.2 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2830 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 specific versions of Oracle VM VirtualBox prior to 5.1.36 and 5.2.10, creating a significant risk for organizations relying on virtualized infrastructure for their operations. The flaw demonstrates characteristics that align with CWE-20, representing an input validation error that permits unauthorized access to virtual machine environments. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers with minimal privileges can leverage this weakness to compromise the entire VirtualBox instance.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves a privilege escalation mechanism that allows a low-privileged attacker with logon access to the host system where Oracle VM VirtualBox operates to gain full control over the virtualization platform. This represents a severe compromise of the principle of least privilege and demonstrates how virtualization software can become a critical attack vector when proper access controls are not maintained. The vulnerability's CVSS 3.0 score of 8.2 reflects its high severity, with impacts spanning confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The attack vector AV:L indicates local access requirements, while the low attack complexity AC:L suggests that exploitation does not require specialized tools or extensive knowledge. The PR:L classification confirms that the attacker must have legitimate login credentials, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where administrative access is not adequately restricted.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-2830 extends beyond the immediate compromise of Oracle VM VirtualBox, as successful exploitation can result in complete takeover of the virtualization environment and potentially affect other connected systems. This vulnerability creates a significant risk for enterprises that depend on virtualized infrastructure for business continuity, as it can lead to unauthorized access to multiple virtual machines simultaneously. The requirement for human interaction from someone other than the attacker indicates that social engineering or insider threat scenarios may be involved, making detection more challenging. Organizations utilizing Oracle VM VirtualBox in production environments face substantial risk of data breaches, service disruption, and potential lateral movement within their networks if this vulnerability remains unpatched.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-2830 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Oracle VM VirtualBox installations to versions 5.1.36 or 5.2.10, respectively. System administrators must implement strict access controls and monitor for unauthorized logon activities on systems hosting virtualization software. Network segmentation and microsegmentation approaches should be employed to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. The vulnerability's characteristics align with ATT&CK technique T1068, which involves exploiting legitimate credentials for privilege escalation, making traditional endpoint protection solutions insufficient without proper access control policies. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify other potential attack vectors within their virtualization environments and implement robust monitoring solutions to detect anomalous behavior patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security audits and privileged access management protocols become essential defensive measures against similar vulnerabilities that could compromise virtualized infrastructure.