CVE-2019-2859 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 takeover of Oracle VM VirtualBox. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 8.8 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/07/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-2859 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle VM VirtualBox's Core subcomponent that affects versions prior to 5.2.32 and 6.0.10. This vulnerability operates at the infrastructure level where VirtualBox executes, creating a significant attack surface for malicious actors who have already gained low-privileged access to the host system. The CVSS 3.0 score of 8.8 indicates a high severity threat with impacts spanning confidentiality, integrity, and availability, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where virtualization platforms serve as foundational infrastructure components.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and potentially improper privilege handling within the VirtualBox Core module. Attackers with local logon privileges can exploit this weakness to execute arbitrary code within the VirtualBox environment, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The low access complexity and low privilege requirements mean that even minimal user access can translate into substantial system control, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations with shared or multi-tenant infrastructure environments. This flaw falls under CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and may also relate to CWE-20, concerning input validation issues in software components.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond just the immediate VirtualBox environment, potentially affecting additional Oracle products and systems that rely on VirtualBox for deployment or testing. Successful exploitation could enable attackers to gain complete administrative control over the virtualization platform, allowing them to manipulate virtual machines, access sensitive data, or establish persistent backdoors within the infrastructure. The CVSS vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L indicates that the attack requires local access with low complexity and low privileges, suggesting that the vulnerability could be exploited through common user accounts or services running with minimal permissions.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected VirtualBox installations to address this vulnerability, as the risk of exploitation increases with the presence of unpatched systems. The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to Oracle VM VirtualBox versions 5.2.32 or 6.0.10, which contain the necessary security fixes. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and access controls can help limit the potential impact if exploitation occurs, while monitoring for unusual system behavior or unauthorized access attempts can aid in early detection of attempted exploitation. Security teams should also consider conducting comprehensive vulnerability assessments across their entire virtualization infrastructure to identify any other potentially affected components that may share similar vulnerabilities or attack vectors.