Vm VirtualboxApplication · Oracle

CVE-2024-21115

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-04-16

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.0.16 or later.

See remediation →

90/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

Zero-click

Official description

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. While the vulnerability is in Oracle VM VirtualBox, attacks may significantly impact additional products (scope change). Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Oracle VM VirtualBox. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 8.8 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Local privilege escalation vulnerability in Oracle VM VirtualBox Core component. A low-privileged user with local access can exploit this to achieve complete takeover of VirtualBox, with attacks potentially impacting additional products due to scope change. No user interaction required.

MitigationUpgrade Oracle VM VirtualBox to version 7.0.16 or later to remediate this vulnerability.

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

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Vm VirtualboxApplication

Affected:< 7.0.16

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Local
Complexity: Low
Privileges: Low
User interaction: None
Scope: Changed
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

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

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

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

Confirm VirtualBox is installed

Locate VirtualBox on the system - check common installation paths or use platform-specific methods (Windows: Programs and Features or registry, Linux: dpkg/rpm queries or which VBoxManage, macOS: Applications folder)

Affected if VirtualBox executable or installation directory is present on the system
Retrieve the installed version number

Run VBoxManage --version from the VirtualBox installation directory, or access the application's About/Help dialog to view the version

Affected if Cannot determine the installed version - may indicate incomplete installation
Compare version against vulnerable range

Compare the retrieved version to 7.0.16 - any version lower than 7.0.16 (including 7.0.x versions below 7.0.16, the 6.x series, or earlier releases) falls within the affected range

Affected if Installed version is numerically less than 7.0.16

The system is affected if Oracle VM VirtualBox is present and the installed version is any release prior to 7.0.16.

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

Remediation

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 to remediate this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

VirtualBox 7.0.16

Back up any critical virtual machines and snapshots before upgrading
Download VirtualBox 7.0.16 from the official Oracle website (https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads)
Uninstall the current VirtualBox version or run the installer to upgrade in-place
Restart the host system if required by the installer
Launch VirtualBox and verify the version shows 7.0.16
Test that existing virtual machines start correctly

Caveat Point release upgrades typically have minimal breaking changes; however, ensure backups of VMs exist before upgrading

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
Testing4.0 h
Review / QA1.0 h

8.0 hours of engineering $1,360

Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,176.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-21115 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References

Primary sources

www.oracle.comVendor Advisory
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-21115 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2024-21115?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 7.0.16 or later

Severity 8.8 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.5%

Affects: Vm Virtualbox

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Vm Virtualbox 8 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $1,360

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2024-21115 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

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

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References