CVE-2020-2913 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 6.0.20 and prior to 6.1.6. Difficult to exploit 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 takeover of Oracle VM VirtualBox. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 7.0 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/26/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-2913 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle VM VirtualBox's core component that affects versions prior to 6.0.20 and 6.1.6. This vulnerability operates under the Common Weakness Enumeration framework as CWE-20, which encompasses "Improper Input Validation" and specifically relates to insufficient validation of input parameters that can lead to arbitrary code execution. The flaw exists within the virtualization platform's core functionality, making it particularly dangerous as it targets the fundamental components that manage virtual machine operations and system interactions.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate validation mechanisms within VirtualBox's internal processing systems, allowing an attacker with local access to the host system to manipulate core components through carefully crafted inputs. The CVSS 3.0 scoring of 7.0 indicates high severity with medium access complexity and low privilege requirements, meaning that an attacker who already has legitimate login access to the host infrastructure can exploit this weakness. The vulnerability's impact spans all three core security principles: confidentiality, integrity, and availability, as demonstrated by the high scores across all impact vectors. This represents a significant escalation risk where a local user can potentially gain complete control over the virtualization environment.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability creates a severe risk landscape for organizations relying on VirtualBox for their virtualization needs, particularly in environments where multiple users share the same physical infrastructure or where administrative privileges might be compromised. The attack scenario typically involves an attacker who has already established a foothold on the host system through legitimate means, then leveraging this vulnerability to escalate privileges and gain full control over the VirtualBox instance. This compromise can lead to complete system takeover, allowing attackers to access all virtual machines managed by the vulnerable VirtualBox installation, potentially resulting in data breaches, system corruption, or further lateral movement within the network infrastructure.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to VirtualBox versions 6.0.20 or 6.1.6 and later, which contain the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. Additional protective measures include implementing strict access controls and monitoring for unusual activity within virtualization environments, as well as maintaining comprehensive network segmentation to limit the potential impact of such compromises. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter, and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation, making it particularly dangerous in environments where attackers can leverage local access to gain deeper system control. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be implemented to identify and remediate similar issues across the virtualization infrastructure, ensuring that all components maintain current security patches and configurations that prevent exploitation of known weaknesses.