CVE-2019-2509 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).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/28/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-2509 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 issue manifests as a denial of service vulnerability that can be exploited by attackers with low privileges who already possess logon access to the system where VirtualBox is operating. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that the attack vector requires minimal technical expertise or resources to execute successfully, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments where VirtualBox is widely deployed. The CVSS 3.0 score of 6.5 reflects the availability impact with a high severity rating for the complete denial of service condition, demonstrating the potential for substantial operational disruption.
The technical flaw within Oracle VM VirtualBox's Core component stems from inadequate input validation and memory management practices that allow malicious actors to trigger system instability through carefully crafted inputs or operations. This vulnerability operates at the infrastructure level where VirtualBox executes, meaning that successful exploitation can lead to complete system hangs or repeated crash scenarios that effectively render the virtualization environment unusable. The attack requires only local privileges and does not necessitate network access or elevated user rights, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users share the same physical infrastructure. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond the immediate VirtualBox instance as it can affect dependent virtual machines and potentially compromise the entire virtualization stack. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions that can lead to arbitrary code execution or system instability, though in this specific case the impact is limited to denial of service rather than code execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-2509 can be severe for organizations relying on Oracle VM VirtualBox for their virtualization needs, as it can result in complete system downtime and disruption of critical business operations. When a VirtualBox instance experiences the hang or repeated crashes, it can affect multiple virtual machines running on that host, potentially causing cascading failures across dependent applications and services. The vulnerability's ability to cause a complete denial of service means that administrators may need to restart the entire VirtualBox service or even reboot the underlying host system to restore normal operations. This type of vulnerability directly impacts the availability aspect of the CIA triad and can be particularly problematic in cloud environments or development scenarios where VirtualBox is used extensively. Organizations may experience reduced productivity, service interruptions, and potential data loss if virtual machines become inaccessible due to the denial of service conditions. The CVSS vector analysis indicates that the attack requires local access (AV:L) with low complexity (AC:L) and low privilege requirements (PR:L), making it accessible to both internal threat actors and potentially external attackers who have gained initial access to the system through other means.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to Oracle VM VirtualBox versions 5.2.24 or 6.0.2, which contain the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as restricting local access to VirtualBox installations and monitoring for unusual system behavior that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's nature suggests that regular security assessments of virtualization environments are crucial, as similar issues may exist in other components of the VirtualBox suite or related virtualization technologies. Organizations should also review their incident response procedures to ensure they can quickly detect and respond to denial of service conditions affecting virtualization infrastructure. The ATT&CK framework's methodology for identifying such vulnerabilities emphasizes the importance of understanding how local privilege escalation and system-level attacks can be leveraged to compromise availability, making this vulnerability particularly relevant for organizations that need to maintain robust security postures against persistent threats.