CVE-2019-3017 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 takeover of Oracle VM VirtualBox. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 8.2 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/15/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-3017 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle VM VirtualBox's core component that affects versions prior to 5.2.34 and 6.0.14. This vulnerability operates at a fundamental level within the virtualization infrastructure, creating a pathway for attackers who already possess legitimate access to the host system to escalate their privileges and gain complete control over the virtualization environment. The attack vector requires local access with high privileges, indicating that an attacker must first establish a foothold on the host infrastructure before exploiting this specific weakness. The CVSS 3.0 score of 8.2 reflects the severity of impact across confidentiality, integrity, and availability domains, demonstrating the comprehensive nature of potential damage.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls and privilege management within the VirtualBox core subsystem. When an attacker with elevated privileges on the host system can exploit this flaw, they can potentially bypass normal security boundaries that separate virtual machines from the host environment. This weakness creates a scenario where the virtualization layer becomes compromised, allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the VirtualBox process, which typically runs with elevated permissions. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that minimal technical expertise is required to leverage this weakness effectively. This characteristic significantly increases the risk profile as it reduces the barrier for malicious actors to achieve their objectives.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-3017 extends far beyond the immediate compromise of the VirtualBox instance itself. Successful exploitation can result in complete takeover of the virtualization environment, potentially allowing attackers to access all virtual machines running on the compromised host, steal sensitive data, modify system configurations, or establish persistent access points. The security implications are particularly severe because VirtualBox installations often serve as critical infrastructure components in enterprise environments, development labs, and cloud deployments where multiple virtual machines may be hosted on a single physical system. The availability impact is significant as compromised virtualization environments can lead to complete service disruption, while the integrity compromise allows for undetected modifications to virtual machine configurations or guest operating systems. The confidentiality impact becomes severe when considering that attackers can potentially access data from multiple virtual machines simultaneously, especially in environments where virtual machines contain sensitive corporate or personal information.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement patch management procedures to upgrade to Oracle VM VirtualBox versions 5.2.34 or 6.0.14, which contain the necessary security fixes. System administrators should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of affected VirtualBox versions within their infrastructure and prioritize remediation efforts. Additional mitigations include implementing network segmentation to limit access to systems running VirtualBox, enforcing strict access controls and privilege management, and monitoring for unusual activity patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. From a compliance perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1059 which covers command and scripting interpreter. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as mandatory access controls, regular security audits, and enhanced logging mechanisms to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date virtualization software and highlights the need for comprehensive security monitoring across all system components that form part of the virtualization infrastructure stack.