CVE-2026-71138 in VM VirtualBox
Summary
by MITRE • 08/19/2026
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). The supported version that is affected is 7.2.14. 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 (scope change). Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized ability to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) of Oracle VM VirtualBox as well as unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data and unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 7.3 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/19/2026
The identified vulnerability resides within the core component of Oracle VM VirtualBox version 7.2.14, representing a significant security flaw in one of the most widely deployed virtualization platforms globally. This issue is classified as an easily exploitable vulnerability that requires high privileged access to the host infrastructure where the hypervisor executes. The attacker must possess valid logon credentials and sufficient privileges on the underlying operating system to initiate the attack vector. Despite requiring local administrative or equivalent level access, the severity of the flaw is amplified by its potential for scope change, meaning that compromising Oracle VM VirtualBox can lead to broader impacts beyond the virtualization software itself, potentially affecting other products running within the same environment or relying on the integrity of the hypervisor layer.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability allows an authenticated attacker with high privileges to manipulate internal states and data structures within the VirtualBox core. The exploitation leads to three distinct categories of adverse outcomes: denial of service, unauthorized data modification, and unauthorized data disclosure. Specifically, attackers can trigger conditions that cause the application to hang or crash repeatedly, resulting in a complete loss of availability for virtual machines managed by this instance. Furthermore, the flaw permits the attacker to perform unauthorized updates, insertions, or deletions against accessible data within the VirtualBox environment, compromising integrity. Additionally, there is an avenue for reading a subset of protected data, which impacts confidentiality. These capabilities collectively undermine the fundamental security principles required for secure virtualization environments.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial due to its high base score of 7.3 on the CVSS version 3.1 scale. The vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:H) indicates that while the attack requires local access and high privileges, it does not require user interaction and has a low complexity. The scope change is critical here; although the initial point of entry is within VirtualBox, the consequences extend to other products in the ecosystem. This means that an attacker who compromises the hypervisor layer could potentially pivot to compromise guest operating systems or access sensitive data stored by virtual machines, effectively breaking the isolation boundaries that are central to virtualization security. The ability to cause a complete denial of service also poses a significant risk for production environments where uptime is critical, as repeated crashes can disrupt services and require manual intervention to restore functionality.
In terms of industry standards classification, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-20 Improper Input Validation if the root cause involves malformed data processing within the core components. The unauthorized access aspects relate closely to CWE-269 Improvement of Privileges or CWE-732 Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource, depending on whether the flaw allows escalation from high privilege to full control over specific resources. From an offensive security perspective, such vulnerabilities are often leveraged in lateral movement scenarios within a compromised network, fitting into MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to Defense Evasion and Credential Access if used to bypass security controls or extract sensitive information. The ability to crash the application repeatedly also maps to Denial of Service tactics aimed at disrupting operational continuity.
Mitigation strategies must focus on both immediate remediation and long-term hardening. Oracle has released updates addressing this flaw, so applying the latest patches for Oracle VM VirtualBox is the primary defense mechanism. Organizations should ensure that their virtualization hosts are kept up-to-date with all security advisories provided by Oracle. Beyond patching, it is crucial to enforce strict access controls on the host infrastructure where VirtualBox runs. Since high privileged access is required for exploitation, implementing principle of least privilege ensures that only essential services and administrators have elevated rights. Additionally, network segmentation can limit the blast radius if a compromise does occur, preventing attackers from easily pivoting to other critical systems. Regular auditing of user privileges and monitoring for unusual process termination patterns or resource exhaustion indicative of denial-of-service attempts can also provide early detection capabilities for such vulnerabilities in production environments.