CVE-2019-2874 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. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized ability to cause a partial denial of service (partial DOS) of Oracle VM VirtualBox. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 3.3 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/07/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-2874 resides within Oracle VM VirtualBox's Core subcomponent, representing a significant security weakness that affects versions prior to 5.2.32 and 6.0.10. This flaw manifests as a low-privilege attacker with legitimate access to the host infrastructure where VirtualBox operates can exploit the vulnerability to compromise the virtualization environment itself. The attack vector requires local access to the system, meaning an adversary must already have authenticated access to the host machine, but this access level is sufficient to execute the exploit. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that the attack requires minimal specialized knowledge or resources, making it particularly concerning for environments where multiple users or services share the same host infrastructure.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the VirtualBox Core component, which fails to properly sanitize or validate user-supplied data during processing. This weakness creates a potential pathway for attackers to manipulate the virtualization layer through crafted inputs that could be processed by the vulnerable system. The vulnerability specifically impacts the availability aspect of the system as indicated by the CVSS 3.0 Base Score of 3.3, which reflects a partial denial of service condition. Attackers can leverage this flaw to disrupt the normal operation of VirtualBox, potentially causing the virtualization environment to become partially unavailable to legitimate users while maintaining the underlying system functionality. The vulnerability's impact is further constrained by the requirement for local access, but this limitation does not diminish its potential for causing operational disruption.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-2874 extends beyond simple service disruption, as it represents a potential escalation vector within virtualized environments where multiple virtual machines may be running on the same host system. When exploited, this vulnerability allows attackers to compromise the integrity of the virtualization layer, potentially affecting all virtual machines hosted on the compromised system. The partial denial of service condition means that while the system may not completely crash, it can become unstable or unresponsive to legitimate virtual machine operations, resulting in productivity loss and potential data processing delays. Organizations relying on virtualization for business continuity face significant risk from this vulnerability, particularly in environments where virtual machines are critical to operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-2874 primarily focus on upgrading to supported versions of Oracle VM VirtualBox that contain the necessary security patches. System administrators should prioritize immediate deployment of patches for versions 5.2.32 and 6.0.10 or later, as these releases contain the fixes required to address the input validation weaknesses that enable the exploit. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and access controls can help limit the potential impact of such vulnerabilities by restricting local access to virtualization hosts. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual virtualization layer activity that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which addresses "Improper Input Validation," and maps to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and denial of service operations. Organizations should also consider implementing least privilege principles for host system access and regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in their virtualization infrastructure.