CVE-2024-21115 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).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/05/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-21115 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle VM VirtualBox's core component that affects versions prior to 7.0.16. This vulnerability operates under the Common Weakness Enumeration framework as a privilege escalation issue, specifically categorized as CWE-269 which deals with improper privileges allocation. The flaw exists in the virtualization infrastructure where Oracle VM VirtualBox executes, creating a pathway for attackers who already possess low-privileged access to the underlying host system to escalate their privileges and gain complete control over the virtualization environment. The CVSS 3.1 scoring system assigns this vulnerability a base score of 8.8, indicating a high severity level with significant impacts across confidentiality, integrity, and availability domains.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls and privilege management within the VirtualBox core architecture. An attacker with merely local logon access to the host system can exploit this weakness to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, effectively bypassing the normal security boundaries that should protect the virtualization layer. The attack vector requires local access (AV:L) with low complexity (AC:L) and low privilege requirements (PR:L), making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by insiders or compromised users with minimal privileges. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining proper privilege separation between host and guest operating systems in virtualized environments.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-21115 extends far beyond the immediate compromise of Oracle VM VirtualBox itself, as indicated by the scope change component of the vulnerability assessment. 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 backdoors. The confidentiality impact is severe as attackers can access all data within virtualized environments, while the integrity impact is equally critical as the attacker can modify system files and configurations. The availability impact means that the entire virtualization infrastructure could be rendered unusable or compromised, affecting business continuity and operational resilience.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including upgrading to Oracle VM VirtualBox version 7.0.16 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. System administrators should also enforce strict access controls and privilege management policies, ensuring that only authorized personnel have local access to systems running VirtualBox. Additional protective measures include implementing network segmentation to limit access to virtualization hosts, monitoring for unusual privilege escalation activities, and conducting regular security assessments of virtualization environments. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which involves privilege escalation through local system exploitation, making it particularly relevant for organizations implementing security frameworks that follow MITRE ATT&CK methodology for threat modeling and defense planning.