CVE-2024-21116 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. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Oracle VM VirtualBox. Note: This vulnerability applies to Linux hosts only. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 7.8 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/09/2025
This vulnerability resides within Oracle VM VirtualBox's core component and represents a significant security flaw affecting versions prior to 7.0.16. The issue manifests specifically on Linux host systems where Oracle VM VirtualBox operates, creating a pathway for attackers with minimal privileges to gain complete control over the virtualization environment. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that the attack surface is relatively accessible, requiring only a low privileged user account with access to the host infrastructure where VirtualBox is executing. The CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 reflects the high severity impact across all three core security principles, demonstrating that successful exploitation can lead to complete compromise of the virtualization platform.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls within the VirtualBox core functionality, allowing an attacker who has already established a foothold on the Linux host system to escalate their privileges and gain administrative control over the virtualization environment itself. This flaw operates at a fundamental level within the virtualization stack, potentially enabling attackers to manipulate virtual machine configurations, access guest operating systems, or disrupt the entire virtualization infrastructure. The attack vector requires local access to the host system, meaning the attacker must first establish a presence on the machine where VirtualBox is running, but once achieved, the vulnerability provides a pathway to full system compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it can result in complete takeover of the Oracle VM VirtualBox environment. This compromise can lead to data exfiltration from virtual machines, modification of virtual machine configurations, or complete disruption of virtualization services. Organizations running VirtualBox on Linux hosts are particularly at risk, as this vulnerability can be exploited by attackers who have gained any level of access to the host system, whether through legitimate administrative access or through other compromised accounts. The availability impact is particularly concerning as an attacker could potentially disrupt virtualization services, leading to business continuity issues and service interruptions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of all affected VirtualBox installations to version 7.0.16 or later, which addresses the core access control issues. System administrators should also implement strict access controls on host systems, limiting logon privileges and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect potential exploitation attempts, while regular security audits should verify that only authorized users have access to virtualization infrastructure. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing principle of least privilege access controls, ensuring that users who require host system access are granted only the minimum permissions necessary for their legitimate operations, reducing the potential attack surface for this and similar vulnerabilities. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and can be mapped to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and persistence within virtualized environments.