CVE-2018-2837 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-2018-2837 resides within Oracle VM VirtualBox's Core subcomponent, representing a critical security flaw that affects versions prior to 5.1.36 and 5.2.10. This vulnerability operates under the Common Weakness Enumeration framework as CWE-125, classified as an out-of-bounds read condition that occurs when a program attempts to access memory beyond the boundaries of a valid buffer. The flaw manifests in the virtualization environment where Oracle VM VirtualBox executes, creating a pathway for exploitation that requires minimal privileges but significant system access. The CVSS 3.0 scoring system assigns this vulnerability a base score of 8.2, indicating high severity across all impact vectors including confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The attack vector AV:L demonstrates that exploitation requires local access to the system, while the low access complexity AC:L suggests that the attack can be executed without specialized tools or knowledge. The privilege requirement PR:L indicates that an attacker with basic user credentials can potentially exploit this vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users share the same infrastructure.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-2837 extends far beyond the immediate compromise of the VirtualBox application itself. This vulnerability operates under the MITRE ATT&CK framework's technique T1059, which involves the use of command and control channels, as exploitation can lead to complete system takeover. The requirement for human interaction UI:R suggests that while the initial exploitation may be automated, a user action is necessary to complete the attack process, potentially involving user interaction with virtual machine interfaces or system prompts. The scope of impact S:C indicates that successful exploitation can cause cascading effects across additional products and systems within the virtualized environment. When an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they gain the ability to execute arbitrary code within the context of the VirtualBox process, potentially leading to complete compromise of the virtualization host. The confidentiality impact C:H shows that sensitive data stored within or accessible through the virtualized environment could be extracted, while the integrity impact I:H indicates that the attacker could modify system configurations, guest operating systems, or virtual machine images. The availability impact A:H demonstrates that the attacker could potentially cause denial of service conditions or complete system outages through the exploitation of this vulnerability.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking within the VirtualBox Core component, which fails to validate input parameters when processing virtual machine configurations or guest operating system interactions. This flaw allows attackers to craft malicious inputs that cause the virtualization software to read memory locations outside the intended buffer boundaries, potentially leading to information disclosure or code execution. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-125 highlights the fundamental programming error where insufficient validation permits access to memory that should remain protected, creating a pathway for privilege escalation attacks. Security researchers have documented similar patterns in virtualization platforms where buffer overflows in core components can be leveraged to bypass security controls and gain unauthorized access to host systems. The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which involves the use of legitimate credentials and system tools to gain access to privileged accounts or execute commands with elevated privileges. Organizations running affected versions of Oracle VM VirtualBox face significant risk of data breaches, system compromise, and potential lateral movement within their networks, particularly in environments where virtualization is used extensively for development, testing, or production workloads.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-2837 primarily focus on immediate version upgrades to Oracle VM VirtualBox 5.1.36 or 5.2.10, which contain the necessary patches to address the out-of-bounds read vulnerability. System administrators should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of affected VirtualBox versions within their environments and prioritize patching activities accordingly. The implementation of network segmentation and access controls can help limit the potential impact of exploitation by reducing the attack surface available to potential attackers. Security monitoring solutions should be configured to detect anomalous behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, including unusual network connections or unexpected process execution patterns within virtualization environments. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing principle of least privilege controls to minimize the potential impact of successful exploitation, ensuring that virtualization hosts operate with minimal necessary privileges. Regular security audits and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify other potential vulnerabilities within the virtualization infrastructure. The remediation process should include thorough testing of patched systems to ensure that the vulnerability has been properly addressed without introducing compatibility issues with existing virtual machine configurations or guest operating systems. Security teams should also develop incident response procedures specifically tailored to address potential exploitation of this vulnerability, including protocols for containment, eradication, and recovery from virtualization-based attacks.