CVE-2019-2848 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 5.2.32 and prior to 6.0.10. 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 • 07/07/2020
The vulnerability described in CVE-2019-2848 affects Oracle VM VirtualBox's Core component, representing a critical availability threat that can be exploited by low-privileged attackers who have already gained access to the host infrastructure where VirtualBox operates. This vulnerability exists in versions prior to 5.2.32 and 6.0.10, indicating that the flaw has been present in the software for an extended period, potentially allowing attackers to maintain persistent access to compromised environments. The CVSS 3.0 score of 6.5 with a high availability impact reflects the severity of potential system disruption, while the vector analysis shows low attack complexity, low privilege requirements, and a scope change that could affect additional Oracle products beyond the primary VirtualBox component.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the VirtualBox Core subsystem, which fails to properly handle maliciously crafted input that could trigger memory corruption or resource exhaustion conditions. This flaw enables attackers to cause the virtualization platform to crash repeatedly or become unresponsive, effectively rendering the virtualization environment unusable for legitimate operations. The vulnerability's exploitation requires only local access to the host system where VirtualBox runs, making it particularly dangerous in environments where guest operating systems or untrusted users might have access to the physical infrastructure. This aligns with CWE-121, which addresses buffer overflow conditions in memory management, and reflects patterns commonly found in virtualization platform security flaws.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-2848 extends far beyond the immediate VirtualBox environment, as successful exploitation can disrupt critical business operations that depend on virtualized infrastructure. Organizations relying on VirtualBox for development, testing, or production workloads may face significant downtime and service interruption when this vulnerability is exploited. The complete denial of service condition means that virtual machines cannot be started, stopped, or managed properly, potentially affecting multiple concurrent users or applications. This vulnerability particularly impacts enterprise environments where VirtualBox is used as a desktop virtualization solution, as attackers could leverage it to disrupt operations across multiple virtual machines simultaneously.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of affected VirtualBox versions to 5.2.32 or 6.0.10, which contain the necessary security fixes to prevent exploitation. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to VirtualBox host systems, ensuring that only authorized personnel can interact with the infrastructure. Additional protective measures include monitoring for unusual system behavior or frequent crashes that might indicate exploitation attempts, as well as implementing host-based intrusion detection systems to identify potential malicious activity. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework would align with techniques involving privilege escalation and denial of service, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security monitoring and access control measures to prevent unauthorized exploitation of virtualization platforms.