CVE-2019-2521 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. Difficult to exploit 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 takeover of Oracle VM VirtualBox. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 7.8 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/28/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-2521 resides within Oracle VM VirtualBox's Core subcomponent, representing a critical security flaw that affects organizations relying on virtualization infrastructure. This vulnerability manifests in versions prior to 5.2.24 and 6.0.2, creating a significant risk for enterprise environments where virtual machines are extensively deployed. The flaw operates at a foundational level within the virtualization stack, making it particularly dangerous as it can serve as a gateway for broader system compromise. The vulnerability's classification as difficult to exploit indicates that while sophisticated attack vectors exist, the security controls required to leverage this weakness are not trivial to achieve, yet remain within the capabilities of determined adversaries.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and potential memory corruption issues within the VirtualBox Core component that handles virtual machine operations. Attackers with low-privilege access to the host system where VirtualBox executes can potentially leverage this flaw to escalate their privileges and gain complete control over the virtualization environment. The CVSS 3.0 score of 7.8 reflects the severity of impact across confidentiality, integrity, and availability domains, indicating that successful exploitation could result in complete system compromise. The attack vector requires local access to the infrastructure, meaning that an attacker must already have some level of access to the host system, but this access level is considered low-privileged, making the vulnerability particularly concerning for environments where multiple users or services share the same physical infrastructure.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-2521 extends far beyond the immediate VirtualBox environment, as demonstrated by the CVSS vector indicating a potential for significant impact across additional products. Organizations that deploy VirtualBox across multiple systems or integrate it with other security solutions may find their entire infrastructure at risk when this vulnerability is exploited. The compromise of a single VirtualBox instance could potentially allow attackers to pivot to other systems within the network, making this vulnerability a critical concern for enterprise security teams. The availability impact is particularly severe as attackers could potentially cause denial of service conditions or completely shut down virtualization services, disrupting business operations and potentially leading to significant financial losses.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of affected VirtualBox installations to versions 5.2.24 or 6.0.2, which contain the necessary security fixes. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to VirtualBox host systems, ensuring that only authorized personnel can access the infrastructure where virtualization services operate. The principle of least privilege should be enforced across all systems running VirtualBox, limiting user access to only the resources necessary for their operations. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual activity patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, including unexpected process creation or network connections from virtualization hosts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing additional security controls such as mandatory access controls and enhanced logging to provide better visibility into potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and represents a potential vector for techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and persistence tactics, making comprehensive defense-in-depth strategies essential for protecting against exploitation.