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CVE-2021-2281

7.1 HIGH

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability in Oracle VM VirtualBox allows an unauthenticated attacker with local access to the host system to compromise the VirtualBox installation. The attacker can create, delete, or modify critical VirtualBox data, potentially affecting other products running on the same infrastructure. Only VirtualBox versions prior to 6.1.20 are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:
  • Oracle VM VirtualBox
Versions: All versions prior to 6.1.20
Operating Systems: All platforms where VirtualBox runs (Windows, Linux, macOS, Solaris)
Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes
Notes: The vulnerability is in the Core component and affects all default installations of affected versions.

📦 What is this software?

Vm Virtualbox by Oracle

View all CVEs affecting Vm Virtualbox →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete compromise of VirtualBox configuration and data, potentially allowing manipulation of virtual machines and their settings, which could lead to data loss or unauthorized access to virtualized environments.

🟠

Likely Case

Unauthorized modification or deletion of VirtualBox configuration files, virtual disk images, or snapshots, disrupting virtual machine operations and potentially causing data corruption.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if proper access controls restrict local user privileges and VirtualBox is isolated from critical systems.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This is a local vulnerability requiring attacker access to the host system where VirtualBox runs.
🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal users with local access to VirtualBox hosts could exploit this, but requires specific local access rather than network access.

🎯 Exploit Status

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

The CVSS vector indicates low attack complexity and no authentication required, but no public exploit code has been identified in available references.

🛠️ 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 the official Oracle website. 2. Uninstall the current vulnerable version. 3. Install the patched version. 4. Restart the host system to ensure all components are updated.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Restrict local user access

all

Limit local user privileges on systems running VirtualBox to reduce attack surface

Isolate VirtualBox hosts

all

Run VirtualBox on dedicated systems with minimal user access

🧯 If You Can't Patch

  • Implement strict access controls to limit which users can log into VirtualBox host systems
  • Monitor VirtualBox configuration files and data directories for unauthorized changes

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check VirtualBox version: On Windows, open VirtualBox and check Help > About. On Linux/macOS, run 'VBoxManage --version' in terminal.

Check Version:

VBoxManage --version (Linux/macOS) or check Help > About in VirtualBox GUI (Windows)

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify version is 6.1.20 or higher using the same commands as above.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

  • Unexpected modifications to VirtualBox configuration files
  • Unauthorized access to VirtualBox data directories
  • Changes to virtual machine settings without proper authorization

Network Indicators:

  • This is a local vulnerability with no direct network indicators

SIEM Query:

Search for file modification events in VirtualBox installation directories or configuration paths

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2021-2281
CVSS v3 Score: 7.1 (HIGH)
CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:N
Published: April 22, 2021
Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

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