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Vm VirtualboxApplication · Oracle

CVE-2024-21161

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-07-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.0.20 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 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 unauthorized ability to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) of Oracle VM VirtualBox. Note: This vulnerability applies to Linux hosts only. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 5.5 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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

Denial of Service vulnerability in Oracle VM VirtualBox Core component affecting Linux hosts prior to version 7.0.20. A low-privileged user with local system access can exploit this to cause VirtualBox to hang or crash repeatedly, resulting in complete availability loss of the virtualization platform.

MitigationUpgrade Oracle VM VirtualBox to version 7.0.20 or later. Since this affects Linux hosts only, prioritize patching Linux-based VirtualBox installations.

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 check package manager (dpkg -l | grep virtualbox, rpm -q VirtualBox)
    Affected if VirtualBox is not installed then not affected
  2. Identify the installed VirtualBox version
    Execute 'VBoxManage --version' and note the version number displayed (e.g., 7.0.18, 7.0.6, etc.)
    Affected if version cannot be determined then further investigation needed
  3. Verify the host operating system is Linux
    Run 'uname -a' or 'cat /etc/os-release' to confirm the host OS is Linux-based
    Affected if host is not Linux then not affected (this vulnerability affects Linux hosts only)
  4. Compare installed version against affected range
    Compare the version from step 2 to the affected range: any version prior to 7.0.20 (e.g., 7.0.19, 7.0.18, 7.0.6, 6.1.x) is vulnerable
    Affected if installed version is less than 7.0.20 (e.g., 7.0.18, 6.1.50) then environment is affected

If VirtualBox is installed on a Linux host with a version lower than 7.0.20, the environment is vulnerable to this DoS flaw.

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. Since this affects Linux hosts only, prioritize patching Linux-based VirtualBox installations.

Recommended fix High confidence

VirtualBox 7.0.20

  1. 1. Check current VirtualBox version: Open VirtualBox and go to Help > About VirtualBox, or run `vboxmanage --version` in terminal
  2. 2. Download VirtualBox 7.0.20 (or latest stable version) from the official Oracle website: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
  3. 3. For Linux hosts: Stop all running virtual machines and exit VirtualBox completely
  4. 4. Install the update using your distribution's package manager or by running the downloaded installer (e.g., `sudo dpkg -i virtualbox-7.0.20_*.deb` or `sudo apt install ./virtualbox-7.0.20_*.deb` for Debian-based systems)
  5. 5. After installation, restart the host system to ensure all VirtualBox kernel modules are properly loaded
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade: Run `vboxmanage --version` and confirm it shows 7.0.20 or later
  7. 7. Test that existing virtual machines still function correctly by starting at least one VM
Caveat Upgrades between minor versions (7.0.x) are typically backward compatible with existing VMs; however, test critical VMs in a non-production environment before upgrading production systems

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

Fix this in Vm Virtualbox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,190
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,904.

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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-2024-21161 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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