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Vm VirtualboxApplication · Oracle

CVE-2024-21103

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-04-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.0.16 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Supported versions that are affected are Prior to 7.0.16. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low 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 takeover of Oracle VM VirtualBox. Note: This vulnerability applies to Linux hosts only. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 7.8 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A local privilege escalation vulnerability in Oracle VM VirtualBox's Core component allows a low-privileged user with logon access to a Linux host to gain full control over the VirtualBox virtualization environment, achieving takeover of VirtualBox through exploitation of improper privilege management in versions prior to 7.0.16.

MitigationUpgrade Oracle VM VirtualBox to version 7.0.16 or later. This is a Linux host-specific vulnerability; ensure all Linux-based VirtualBox hosts are prioritized for patching.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Vm VirtualboxApplication
Affected:< 7.0.16

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if VirtualBox is installed
    Run 'VBoxManage --version' or 'virtualbox --version' on the host system to retrieve the installed VirtualBox version
    Affected if VirtualBox is installed and the version number is lower than 7.0.16 (for example, 7.0.14, 7.0.10, 6.1.x, etc.)
  2. Confirm the host operating system
    Run 'uname -a' or 'cat /etc/os-release' to identify the host OS. This vulnerability only affects Linux hosts
    Affected if The host operating system is Linux and VirtualBox version is below 7.0.16
  3. Identify VirtualBox installation path
    Check common installation directories such as /usr/lib/virtualbox, /opt/VirtualBox, or use 'which VBoxManage' to locate the VirtualBox binaries
    Affected if VirtualBox binaries are found in standard installation paths on a Linux host with a vulnerable version
  4. Check current user privileges
    Run 'id' or 'whoami' to determine if the current user is a low-privileged user. The vulnerability requires a low-privileged user with logon access to the Linux host
    Affected if The system has low-privileged users with logon access and VirtualBox version is below 7.0.16 on a Linux host

A user is affected if VirtualBox version 7.0.16 or later is NOT installed on a Linux host, and low-privileged users have logon access to that Linux system.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 7.0.16 or later
Fixed in 7.0.16
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Oracle VM VirtualBox to version 7.0.16 or later. This is a Linux host-specific vulnerability; ensure all Linux-based VirtualBox hosts are prioritized for patching.

Recommended fix High confidence

VirtualBox 7.0.16

  1. Check current VirtualBox version by running: `VBoxManage --version`
  2. If version is prior to 7.0.16 and running on Linux host, download VirtualBox 7.0.16 or later from the official Oracle website (https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads)
  3. Backup any existing virtual machines and configuration files before upgrading
  4. Install the updated VirtualBox package using your system's package manager or the official installer
  5. Restart the host system to ensure all VirtualBox kernel modules are properly loaded
  6. Verify the new version is installed by running: `VBoxManage --version`
  7. Ensure the version shows 7.0.16 or higher
Caveat Minor - VirtualBox upgrades typically preserve VM configurations, but always backup VM images before upgrading. Some older guest additions may require updating.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Vm Virtualbox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,210
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,936.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-21103 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data