CVE-2019-2944 in VM VirtualBox
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Supported versions that are affected are Prior to 5.2.34 and prior to 6.0.14. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows high 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 as well as unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data and unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 7.3 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/15/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-2944 resides within Oracle VM VirtualBox's core component, representing a significant security weakness that affects versions prior to 5.2.34 and 6.0.14. This flaw operates as an easily exploitable vulnerability that requires only a high-privileged attacker with legitimate logon access to the host infrastructure where VirtualBox executes. The security implications extend beyond the virtualization platform itself, potentially affecting other interconnected systems and applications that rely on VirtualBox functionality. The vulnerability's classification as a local privilege escalation issue means that attackers who already possess user-level access to the host system can leverage this weakness to gain elevated privileges within the virtualization environment.
Technical exploitation of CVE-2019-2944 involves a sophisticated manipulation of VirtualBox's internal processes that results in a complete denial of service condition. The vulnerability allows attackers to cause either a hang or frequent crashes that render the virtualization platform unusable, effectively creating a persistent disruption to virtual machine operations. The attack vector specifically targets the core functionality of VirtualBox, making it particularly dangerous as it can compromise the entire virtualization infrastructure. According to the CVSS 3.0 scoring system, this vulnerability carries a base score of 7.3, indicating a high severity level that reflects the combined impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The attack complexity is rated as low, requiring minimal technical expertise, while the privilege requirements are high, suggesting that the attacker must already have substantial access to the host system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple service disruption, as successful exploitation can result in unauthorized modification of critical virtualization data. Attackers can gain the ability to insert, update, or delete data within VirtualBox's accessible storage systems, potentially corrupting virtual machine configurations or compromising the integrity of virtualized environments. Additionally, the vulnerability enables unauthorized read access to specific subsets of VirtualBox's data, allowing attackers to extract sensitive information about virtual machine configurations, user credentials, or other confidential data stored within the virtualization platform. This data exposure can significantly compromise the security posture of organizations relying on VirtualBox for their virtualization needs, potentially leading to further attacks on guest operating systems or network infrastructure. The CVSS vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:H) clearly indicates that this vulnerability can cause a complete system compromise with the potential for cascading effects throughout the organization's virtualized infrastructure.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-119, which addresses "Improper Access to Resources via Universal Resource Identifier" and related memory corruption issues, while also mapping to ATT&CK techniques such as T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter and T1486 for data destruction. Organizations should immediately implement patch management procedures to update VirtualBox to versions 5.2.34 or 6.0.14, which contain the necessary security fixes. Additional mitigations include implementing strict access controls on host systems, monitoring for unusual virtualization process behavior, and conducting regular security assessments of virtualized environments to identify potential exploitation attempts. Network segmentation and privilege separation measures should also be reinforced to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts.