CVE-2020-14676 – This CVE-2020-14676 is an out-of-bounds read vu... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-14676?

CVE-2020-14676 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). This CVE-2020-14676 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability (CWE-125) in Oracle VM VirtualBox Core component that allows a high-privileged attacker with local access to compromise the VirtualBox installation. Successful exploitation could lead to complete takeover of VirtualBox, potentially affecting other products running within the virtualized environment. Affected versions include VirtualBox prior to 5.2.44, 6.0.24, and 6.1.12.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE-2020-14676 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability (CWE-125) in Oracle VM VirtualBox Core component that allows a high-privileged attacker with local access to compromise the VirtualBox installation. Successful exploitation could lead to complete takeover of VirtualBox, potentially affecting other products running within the virtualized environment. Affected versions include VirtualBox prior to 5.2.44, 6.0.24, and 6.1.12.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Oracle VM VirtualBox

Versions: Prior to 5.2.44, prior to 6.0.24, prior to 6.1.12

Operating Systems: Windows, Linux, macOS, Solaris

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All default installations of affected versions are vulnerable. Requires attacker to have high privileges on the host system.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete compromise of Oracle VM VirtualBox allowing attacker to escape virtualization, access host system, and compromise all virtual machines running on the host.

🟠

Likely Case

Privilege escalation leading to VirtualBox process takeover, potentially allowing access to other virtual machines on the same host.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact due to required high privileges and local access, with proper segmentation preventing lateral movement.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access to the host system where VirtualBox runs, not directly exploitable over network.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Requires high-privileged local access, but could be exploited by malicious insiders or compromised accounts with administrative access.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: HIGH

Exploitation requires high privileges (PR:H) and is difficult to exploit (AC:H). No public proof-of-concept has been identified in available references.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 5.2.44, 6.0.24, or 6.1.12

Vendor Advisory: https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2020.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Download latest VirtualBox version from Oracle website. 2. Uninstall current VirtualBox. 3. Install patched version. 4. Restart host system. 5. Verify guest VMs start correctly.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Restrict Local Administrative Access

all

Limit high-privileged access to VirtualBox hosts to reduce attack surface

Network Segmentation

all

Isolate VirtualBox hosts from critical network segments

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict access controls to limit who can log into VirtualBox host systems
Monitor VirtualBox processes and host system logs for suspicious activity

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check VirtualBox version: On Windows: 'VBoxManage --version', On Linux/macOS: 'VBoxManage --version' or check installed package version

Check Version:

VBoxManage --version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify version is 5.2.44 or higher, 6.0.24 or higher, or 6.1.12 or higher using 'VBoxManage --version'

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual VirtualBox process crashes
Suspicious privilege escalation attempts on host
Unexpected VirtualBox service restarts

Network Indicators:

Unusual network traffic from VirtualBox host to other systems
Attempts to access VirtualBox management interfaces from unauthorized sources

SIEM Query:

source="VirtualBox" AND (event_type="crash" OR event_type="privilege_escalation")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-14676

CVSS v3 Score: 7.5 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-125

Published: July 15, 2020

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-09/msg00068.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-09/msg00079.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-09 Third Party Advisory
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2020.html Vendor Advisory
https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-894/ Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-09/msg00068.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-09/msg00079.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-09 Third Party Advisory
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2020.html Vendor Advisory
https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-894/ Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry

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⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

Worst Case

Likely Case

If Mitigated

🎯 Exploit Status

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Instructions:

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Restrict Local Administrative Access

Network Segmentation

🧯 If You Can't Patch

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Version:

Verify Fix Applied:

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Network Indicators:

SIEM Query:

📊 Metadata

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities