CVE-2021-35545 in VM VirtualBox
Summary
by MITRE • 10/20/2021
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). The supported version that is affected is Prior to 6.1.28. 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 and unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 6.7 (Confidentiality and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/27/2021
This vulnerability resides within Oracle VM VirtualBox's core component and affects versions prior to 6.1.28, representing a critical security flaw that enables high-privileged attackers with infrastructure access to compromise the virtualization platform. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers with local access to the system where VirtualBox operates can leverage this weakness to gain unauthorized control over the virtualization environment. The CVSS 3.1 score of 6.7 reflects the severity, with high availability impact and low access complexity, demonstrating that successful exploitation can lead to complete denial of service conditions that are difficult to recover from without proper intervention.
The technical nature of this vulnerability manifests through a combination of confidentiality and availability impacts that can be exploited to cause either persistent system hangs or repeated crashes that effectively render the virtualization platform unusable. Attackers can exploit this weakness to achieve unauthorized read access to specific subsets of data within the VirtualBox environment, potentially exposing sensitive information that should remain protected within the virtualized infrastructure. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond just VirtualBox itself, as successful exploitation can cause cascading effects that compromise additional products and systems that rely on the compromised virtualization environment, making this a particularly dangerous flaw in enterprise settings where virtualization platforms serve as foundational infrastructure components.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 which deals with improper restriction of operations within a limited context, and represents a privilege escalation issue that allows attackers to operate with elevated permissions within the virtualization layer. The attack vector AV:L indicates local access requirements, while the high privilege requirement PR:H suggests that attackers must already have some level of system access, potentially through legitimate administrative accounts or compromised credentials. The CVSS vector structure reveals that while the attack complexity is low, the potential for significant damage makes this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations that depend heavily on virtualization technologies for their computing infrastructure.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including prompt patching to version 6.1.28 or later, which addresses the underlying flaw in VirtualBox's core functionality. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit the potential impact of compromised accounts, while monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns of system instability or unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability's potential to cause complete denial of service makes it critical for organizations to implement robust backup and recovery procedures, as well as to maintain alternative virtualization solutions that can be quickly deployed if the primary system becomes compromised. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in the virtualization infrastructure and ensure comprehensive protection against similar attack vectors.