CVE-2019-2508 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 ability to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) of Oracle VM VirtualBox. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 6.5 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H).
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/28/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-2508 resides within Oracle VM VirtualBox's Core subcomponent, representing a critical availability-focused weakness that undermines the stability of virtualization environments. This flaw affects Oracle VM VirtualBox versions prior to 5.2.24 and 6.0.2, creating a significant risk for organizations relying on virtualized infrastructure. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers with minimal privileges can leverage this weakness to compromise the virtualization platform, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users share the same physical infrastructure.
The technical nature of this vulnerability manifests as a flaw in how Oracle VM VirtualBox processes certain operations within its core architecture, leading to potential denial of service conditions that can cause complete system hangs or repeated crashes. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-119, which encompasses weaknesses related to improper handling of memory access and buffer operations. The attack vector requires local access to the system where VirtualBox is running, meaning an attacker must first establish a foothold on the physical infrastructure before exploiting this weakness. The CVSS 3.0 scoring of 6.5 reflects the high availability impact with a base score of 6.5, indicating that successful exploitation can result in complete system downtime that affects the entire virtualization environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond the immediate VirtualBox environment, as the compromise can significantly affect additional Oracle products that may be integrated within the same infrastructure. This cascading effect aligns with ATT&CK technique T1489, which describes the use of system shutdown/reboot attacks to disrupt services and achieve denial of service conditions. Organizations using Oracle VM VirtualBox for production workloads face substantial risk of service interruption, potential data loss, and operational downtime that can span from hours to days depending on the recovery procedures in place. The low privilege requirement for exploitation makes this vulnerability particularly concerning for multi-tenant environments where users may have legitimate access to shared infrastructure but should not be able to compromise system stability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-2508 primarily focus on immediate patching of affected Oracle VM VirtualBox installations to versions 5.2.24 or 6.0.2 and later. System administrators should conduct comprehensive inventory assessments to identify all affected installations across their infrastructure and prioritize remediation efforts based on risk exposure. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit local system access where possible, reducing the attack surface for potential exploitation. Additionally, organizations should establish robust monitoring protocols to detect unusual system behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts, including monitoring for repeated system crashes or hangs in virtualized environments. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining current virtualization software versions and implementing proper security controls around privileged system access to prevent unauthorized modification of critical infrastructure components.