dbcve.org
Vm VirtualboxApplication · Oracle

CVE-2024-21141

HIGH · 8.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-07-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.0.20 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
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 7.0.20. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows high 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 8.2 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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 vulnerability in the Core component of Oracle VM VirtualBox versions prior to 7.0.20 allows a high-privileged attacker with local system access to compromise VirtualBox and potentially take over the virtualized environment. The CVSS vector indicates a local attack requiring high privileges but no user interaction, with scope change allowing impact to additional products.

MitigationUpgrade Oracle VM VirtualBox to version 7.0.20 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 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:< 7.0.20

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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. Identify VirtualBox installation
    Run 'VBoxManage --version' from command line, or check the application version through the VirtualBox GUI (Help > About VirtualBox), or locate the installed package through system package manager
    Affected if VirtualBox is installed on the system
  2. Determine installed VirtualBox version
    Compare the version number obtained from the previous step against the affected range. Version 7.0.20 and later are NOT affected. Any version before 7.0.20 (including 7.0.x versions below 7.0.20, all 7.0.x initial releases, 6.x series, and earlier) falls within the vulnerable range
    Affected if Installed version is any release prior to 7.0.20 (for example 7.0.18, 7.0.10, 6.1.50, 6.0.24, etc.)
  3. Confirm Core component is in use
    The vulnerability affects the Core component of VirtualBox, which is present in all standard VirtualBox installations. No specific feature or configuration check is needed - the Core component loads automatically on startup
    Affected if VirtualBox is running or installed (the Core component is always active when VirtualBox operates)

If VirtualBox is installed and the version is below 7.0.20, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.

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 7.0.20 or later
Fixed in 7.0.20
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Oracle VM VirtualBox to version 7.0.20 or later to remediate this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

7.0.20

  1. Identify the current VirtualBox version installed (e.g., Help > About VirtualBox or via command line)
  2. Download VirtualBox version 7.0.20 or later from the official Oracle VirtualBox download page
  3. Ensure all virtual machines are powered off and backed up if necessary
  4. Run the VirtualBox installer for version 7.0.20 or later
  5. Follow the installation wizard prompts to complete the upgrade
  6. Restart the host system or restart the VirtualBox service as prompted
  7. Verify the installed version shows 7.0.20 or later
Caveat Review VirtualBox release notes for any feature changes between older versions and 7.0.20; test critical VMs after upgrade

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

Fix this in Vm Virtualbox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,840
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,544.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-21141 — 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 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-2024-21141 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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