CVE-2019-2506 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 5.2.24 and prior to 6.0.2. 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 unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 3.8 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/01/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-2506 resides within Oracle VM VirtualBox's Core subcomponent, representing a significant security weakness that affects versions prior to 5.2.24 and 6.0.2. This flaw operates within the realm of virtualization technology where Oracle VM VirtualBox serves as a critical infrastructure component for virtual machine management. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers with minimal privileges can leverage this weakness to compromise the virtualization environment. The attack vector requires local access to the system where VirtualBox executes, meaning an attacker must first establish a foothold on the host machine before targeting the virtualization layer. This positioning makes the vulnerability particularly concerning as it operates at a fundamental level of system security where virtual machines are managed and executed.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls within the VirtualBox Core component, allowing unauthorized data access through a privilege escalation mechanism. This flaw specifically impacts the confidentiality aspect of the information security triad as attackers can gain unauthorized read access to sensitive data within the virtualization environment. The CVSS 3.0 scoring system assigns a base score of 3.8, reflecting the moderate severity of the issue while maintaining the classification as a low-privilege attack vector. The attack complexity is rated as low, indicating that the exploit does not require specialized knowledge or tools, and the attacker's privileges are limited to basic user access on the host system. The scope of impact is classified as "changed" which means that successful exploitation could affect additional products beyond just the targeted VirtualBox installation, potentially creating cascading security implications.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-2506 extends beyond the immediate VirtualBox environment as the vulnerability can compromise data integrity across interconnected systems that rely on virtualization for operations. Organizations using Oracle VM VirtualBox for enterprise-level virtual machine deployment face significant risks including potential data leakage, unauthorized access to virtual machine configurations, and exposure of sensitive information stored within virtual environments. The vulnerability's potential to impact additional products aligns with the broader threat landscape where virtualization platforms serve as critical infrastructure components that can influence multiple downstream systems. Security administrators must recognize that this vulnerability could enable attackers to extract configuration details, virtual machine disk images, or other sensitive data that might contain corporate intellectual property, user credentials, or system information. The low privilege requirement means that even standard user accounts on the host system could potentially exploit this vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-2506 should prioritize immediate patch deployment for Oracle VM VirtualBox versions prior to 5.2.24 and 6.0.2, as this represents the most direct and effective solution to address the vulnerability. Organizations should implement comprehensive access control measures to limit local system access and reduce the attack surface for potential exploitation. Network segmentation and privilege separation techniques should be employed to ensure that even if an attacker gains local access, they cannot easily escalate privileges or access sensitive virtualization resources. The vulnerability's characteristics align with ATT&CK technique T1068, which involves privilege escalation, and CWE-284, which addresses improper access control. Regular security assessments and monitoring of virtualization environments should be implemented to detect any anomalous access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, system administrators should consider implementing security controls such as mandatory access controls, file integrity monitoring, and audit logging to track access to virtualization resources and identify potential unauthorized activities. The remediation process should include thorough testing of patches in controlled environments before widespread deployment to ensure compatibility with existing virtualization workloads and configurations.