CVE-2024-21113 in VM VirtualBox
Summary
by MITRE • 04/17/2024
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Supported versions that are affected are Prior to 7.0.16. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low 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 (scope change). Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Oracle VM VirtualBox. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 8.8 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/05/2024
This vulnerability resides within Oracle VM VirtualBox's core component and represents a critical security flaw affecting versions prior to 7.0.16. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers with minimal privileges can leverage this weakness to gain control over the virtualization platform. The attack vector requires local access to the system where VirtualBox operates, suggesting that an authenticated user with basic system privileges could potentially exploit this vulnerability. The CVSS 3.1 score of 8.8 reflects the high severity impact across confidentiality, integrity, and availability domains, making this a particularly dangerous flaw in virtualization environments.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls or privilege management within VirtualBox's core architecture. Attackers with low-privilege accounts can potentially escalate their privileges or directly compromise the virtualization environment through this flaw. The scope change aspect indicates that while the vulnerability originates in VirtualBox, its exploitation can affect broader systems and applications that depend on or interact with the virtualization platform. This characteristic makes the vulnerability particularly concerning for enterprise environments where VirtualBox might be integrated with other security systems, network infrastructure, or cloud services.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system compromise, as successful exploitation can result in complete takeover of the VirtualBox environment. This compromise could enable attackers to access virtual machines, steal sensitive data, modify system configurations, or use the compromised platform as a pivot point for further attacks within the network. Organizations running VirtualBox in production environments face significant risks, as this vulnerability could allow attackers to gain unauthorized access to virtualized workloads, potentially affecting multiple tenants in multi-tenant deployments. The low attack complexity and local access requirement make this vulnerability particularly attractive to threat actors who may already have footholds within the target infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of all affected VirtualBox installations to version 7.0.16 or later, which addresses the underlying privilege escalation flaw. System administrators should implement additional monitoring and access controls around VirtualBox installations to detect unauthorized access attempts. Network segmentation and privilege separation should be enforced to limit the potential impact of exploitation. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments of their virtualization environments to identify other potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited in conjunction with this flaw. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and may map to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and lateral movement within virtualized environments, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security controls beyond simple patch management.