CVE-2021-2297 in VM VirtualBox
Summary
by MITRE • 04/23/2021
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). The supported version that is affected is Prior to 6.1.20. Difficult to exploit 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 access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 5.3 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/29/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-2297 represents a significant security flaw within Oracle VM VirtualBox's core component that affects versions prior to 6.1.20. This issue falls under the category of privilege escalation vulnerabilities and demonstrates how seemingly isolated defects can have cascading effects across virtualized environments. The vulnerability's classification as difficult to exploit indicates that while it requires specific conditions to be successfully leveraged, the potential impact makes it particularly concerning for organizations relying on virtualization technologies. The CVSS score of 5.3 reflects a medium severity rating that emphasizes the confidentiality impact while noting the high privilege requirements needed for exploitation.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls within the VirtualBox core execution environment, allowing attackers with legitimate logon credentials to escalate their privileges and gain unauthorized access to sensitive virtualized resources. This flaw operates at the infrastructure level where VirtualBox executes, making it particularly dangerous as it targets the fundamental components that manage virtual machine operations. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond just the VirtualBox application itself, potentially affecting other systems and applications that rely on the compromised virtualization environment. The attack vector requires local access with existing login credentials, which means that the threat actor must already have some level of legitimate access to the system before attempting to exploit this weakness.
From an operational standpoint, successful exploitation of CVE-2021-2297 could result in complete compromise of virtualized environments, enabling attackers to access all data accessible through the VirtualBox platform. The confidentiality impact rating of high indicates that sensitive information stored within virtual machines or managed by VirtualBox could be exposed to unauthorized parties. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that maintain multiple virtualized environments where VirtualBox serves as a critical infrastructure component. The potential for data exfiltration or system-wide compromise makes this vulnerability especially dangerous for enterprises with extensive virtualization deployments. Security professionals must consider that this vulnerability could be used as a stepping stone for broader attacks within networks that rely heavily on virtualized infrastructure.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including updating to Oracle VM VirtualBox version 6.1.20 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. The remediation process should also include conducting thorough security assessments of existing virtualization environments to identify any potential exploitation attempts. System administrators should review access controls and privilege assignments to minimize the attack surface, implementing the principle of least privilege where possible. Network segmentation and monitoring controls should be enhanced to detect unusual activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification under CWE categories related to privilege escalation and access control reinforces the need for comprehensive security measures that address both the immediate patching requirements and broader infrastructure hardening initiatives. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing behavioral analytics and anomaly detection systems to identify potential exploitation attempts that might bypass traditional security controls.