CVE-2026-71140 in 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. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 3.4 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/19/2026
The identified vulnerability resides within the core component of Oracle VM VirtualBox, specifically affecting version 7.2.14 and potentially other supported releases in that lineage. This flaw represents a significant security concern for environments relying on this virtualization platform, as it allows an attacker with high privileges to compromise the integrity and confidentiality of data accessible by the VirtualBox application itself. The vulnerability is characterized by its ease of exploitation, requiring only local access and low complexity, which lowers the barrier for potential adversaries who have already gained a foothold within the infrastructure where Oracle VM VirtualBox executes.
From a technical perspective, this flaw enables unauthorized modifications to data managed or accessible by Oracle VM VirtualBox. Specifically, an attacker can perform unauthorized updates, inserts, or deletions against certain datasets associated with the virtualization software. Furthermore, the vulnerability grants the ability to read a subset of data that should remain restricted, thereby breaching confidentiality requirements. This dual impact on both integrity and confidentiality aligns closely with Common Weakness Enumeration categories such as CWE-269 for Improper Privilege Management or CWE-732 for Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource, depending on the specific underlying code defect triggering these actions. The attack vector is classified as Local (AV:L), indicating that physical or logical access to the host system where VirtualBox runs is a prerequisite, and it requires High privileges (PR:H) prior to exploitation, suggesting that standard user accounts may not be sufficient without further privilege escalation steps.
The operational impact of this vulnerability centers on the potential for data tampering and information disclosure within the context of the virtualization environment. While the availability impact is rated as None in the CVSS 3.1 scoring model, meaning the system remains functional, the compromise of data integrity poses severe risks to organizational operations. Unauthorized modifications could lead to corrupted configuration files, altered disk images, or manipulated state data for running virtual machines, potentially causing downstream failures in applications hosted within those VMs. Additionally, unauthorized read access exposes sensitive information that may include guest operating system credentials, network configurations, or proprietary application data stored on virtual disks, leading to potential further compromise of the broader IT infrastructure if this data is exfiltrated and leveraged against other systems.
In terms of threat modeling, this vulnerability maps to MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to Local Privilege Escalation and Data Manipulation. An attacker leveraging this flaw would likely be operating within a lateral movement phase or attempting to maintain persistence by altering system configurations or data stores managed by VirtualBox. The requirement for high privileges suggests that this is not an initial entry point but rather a mechanism to deepen the compromise of a host where administrative access has already been achieved, possibly through social engineering, credential theft, or exploitation of other local vulnerabilities.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching to the latest stable release of Oracle VM VirtualBox, as vendors typically address such core component flaws in subsequent updates. Organizations must ensure that their virtualization hosts are hardened according to industry best practices, including enforcing strict access controls and minimizing the number of users with high-level privileges on systems running VirtualBox. Implementing principle of least privilege is critical; administrative accounts should be used only when necessary for maintenance tasks rather than daily operations. Additionally, monitoring tools should be configured to detect unusual file system changes or data access patterns within directories associated with Oracle VM VirtualBox installations, providing an early warning indicator of potential exploitation attempts even if the vulnerability remains unpatched temporarily.