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CVE-2021-2264

8.4 HIGH

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability in Oracle VM VirtualBox allows a low-privileged local attacker to compromise the virtualization software, potentially gaining unauthorized access to critical data or modifying/deleting VirtualBox-accessible data. It affects VirtualBox versions prior to 6.1.20 and can impact additional products running within the virtualized environment.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:
  • Oracle VM VirtualBox
Versions: All versions prior to 6.1.20
Operating Systems: All platforms running VirtualBox (Windows, Linux, macOS)
Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes
Notes: Affects all VirtualBox installations with default configurations. Requires attacker to have local access to the VirtualBox host.

📦 What is this software?

Vm Virtualbox by Oracle

View all CVEs affecting Vm Virtualbox →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete compromise of VirtualBox host system, unauthorized access to all virtual machines and their data, and potential lateral movement to other systems.

🟠

Likely Case

Unauthorized access to sensitive VirtualBox configuration data, modification of virtual machine settings, or data exfiltration from virtual machines.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact due to proper access controls, network segmentation, and minimal user privileges on VirtualBox hosts.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability requiring attacker access to the VirtualBox host system.
🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - Internal users with VirtualBox access can exploit this to escalate privileges and compromise virtualization infrastructure.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No
Weaponized: UNKNOWN
Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No
Complexity: LOW

Oracle describes this as 'easily exploitable' but no public exploit code has been released. Attack requires local access with low privileges.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 6.1.20 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2021.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Download VirtualBox 6.1.20 or later from Oracle's website. 2. Uninstall current VirtualBox version. 3. Install the updated version. 4. Restart the host system.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Restrict VirtualBox Access

all

Limit user access to VirtualBox installation to only authorized administrators

# Linux: chmod 750 /usr/bin/virtualbox
# Windows: Use Group Policy to restrict VirtualBox.exe execution

Network Segmentation

all

Isolate VirtualBox hosts from production networks and restrict inter-VM communication

# Use host firewall rules to restrict VirtualBox network access

🧯 If You Can't Patch

  • Implement strict access controls to limit who can access VirtualBox hosts
  • Monitor VirtualBox processes and file access for suspicious activity

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check VirtualBox version: On Windows: 'VBoxManage --version', On Linux/macOS: 'VBoxManage --version' or check About dialog in GUI

Check Version:

VBoxManage --version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify version is 6.1.20 or higher using the same commands

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

  • Unusual VirtualBox process activity
  • Unexpected VirtualBox configuration changes
  • Failed authentication attempts to VirtualBox services

Network Indicators:

  • Unusual network traffic from VirtualBox host to internal systems
  • Suspicious inter-VM communication patterns

SIEM Query:

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

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2021-2264
CVSS v3 Score: 8.4 (HIGH)
CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
Published: April 22, 2021
Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

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