CVE-2026-87281 in VirtualBox
Summary
by MITRE • 09/16/2026
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). The supported version that is affected is 7.2.16. 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 read access to a subset of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 3.2 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2026
The identified vulnerability resides within the core component of Oracle VM VirtualBox, specifically affecting version 7.2.16 and potentially other supported releases depending on the specific code path exploited. This flaw represents a significant security concern because it allows for unauthorized read access to data accessible by the virtualization software itself. The nature of this defect is classified under CWE-200 as an Information Exposure vulnerability, where sensitive information may be disclosed to an actor that should not have access to it. While the immediate impact is limited to confidentiality with no direct effect on integrity or availability according to the provided CVSS metrics, the potential for scope change indicates that compromising Oracle VM VirtualBox could lead to broader system compromise, potentially affecting host operating systems or other virtual machines running within the same environment.
The exploitation requirements for this vulnerability are notably restrictive in terms of initial access but critical regarding privilege levels. A high-privileged attacker with valid logon credentials on the infrastructure where Oracle VM VirtualBox is executing is required to trigger the flaw. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078, Valid Accounts, as the attacker must possess legitimate authentication tokens or credentials for a privileged account on the host system. The attack vector is classified as Local (AV:L), meaning physical or remote network access alone is insufficient; the adversary must already have established a foothold within the operating environment and achieved elevated privileges. This suggests that the vulnerability likely involves an abuse of internal APIs, memory management functions, or configuration handling mechanisms that are accessible only to processes running with administrative or root-level permissions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability centers on unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data. Although the CVSS 3.1 Base Score is low at 3.2 due to the high privilege requirement and local attack vector, the confidentiality impact cannot be dismissed lightly in virtualized environments. Data accessed by the hypervisor may include sensitive configuration files, memory dumps from guest operating systems, or internal state information that could reveal architectural details useful for further exploitation. In a multi-tenant environment or when running untrusted workloads, such exposure can lead to data leakage across VM boundaries if isolation mechanisms are bypassed through this initial read access. The scope change noted in the advisory implies that an attacker leveraging this flaw might gain insights into host-level resources or other guest instances, thereby expanding the blast radius beyond the immediate VirtualBox process.
Mitigation strategies must focus on strict privilege management and environment hardening given the local nature of the exploit. Organizations should enforce the principle of least privilege by ensuring that no user account with high-privileged access to the infrastructure where Oracle VM VirtualBox runs is compromised or shared unnecessarily. Regular auditing of privileged accounts and monitoring for anomalous processes accessing virtualization binaries can help detect potential exploitation attempts early. Furthermore, applying the latest security patches from Oracle is critical, as vendors typically address such core component flaws in subsequent point releases. Administrators should also consider network segmentation to limit lateral movement opportunities if a host system is compromised, thereby reducing the risk of scope change affecting additional products or services hosted on the same physical hardware.