dbcve.org
Vm VirtualboxApplication · Oracle

CVE-2024-21248

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.1.2 or later.
See remediation →
55/100
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 7.0.22 and prior to 7.1.2. Difficult to exploit 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 unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data and unauthorized ability to cause a partial denial of service (partial DOS) of Oracle VM VirtualBox. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 5.3 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L).

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

This is a local privilege vulnerability in Oracle VM VirtualBox's Core component affecting versions prior to 7.0.22 and 7.1.2. A low-privileged attacker with local system logon access can exploit this difficult-to-exploit flaw to achieve unauthorized read, write, and delete access to some VirtualBox data, plus partial denial of service. The scope change indicates attacks may impact additional products beyond VirtualBox itself.

MitigationUpgrade VirtualBox to version 7.0.22 or 7.1.2 or later to obtain the security patch. Since this requires local access, ensure proper access controls and monitoring on systems running VirtualBox.

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:>= 7.0.0, <= 7.0.22>= 7.1.0, <= 7.1.2

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

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

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. Confirm VirtualBox installation
    Check if Oracle VM VirtualBox is installed on the system. On Windows, open Programs and Features or navigate to C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox for the installation directory.
    Affected if VirtualBox software is present on the system
  2. Identify installed VirtualBox version
    Locate the VirtualBox executable and retrieve its version. On Windows, right-click VirtualBox.exe in the installation folder and view the File Version in Properties > Details. Alternatively, run 'VBoxManage --version' from command line if the VBoxManage utility is available.
    Affected if The installed version is 7.0.0 through 7.0.22, or 7.1.0 through 7.1.2
  3. Verify local user access exists
    Determine if the system permits local user logon access. Review user account configurations, check if local accounts other than Administrator exist and are enabled, or review Terminal Services/Remote Desktop settings that allow local user authentication.
    Affected if Low-privileged local user accounts can log on to the system

The environment is affected if VirtualBox versions 7.0.0-7.0.22 or 7.1.0-7.1.2 are installed and the system allows local user logon access, enabling a low-privileged attacker to potentially exploit the Core component 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 a release after 7.1.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade VirtualBox to version 7.0.22 or 7.1.2 or later to obtain the security patch. Since this requires local access, ensure proper access controls and monitoring on systems running VirtualBox.

Recommended fix High confidence

VirtualBox 7.0.22+ for 7.0.x branches, or VirtualBox 7.1.2+ for 7.1.x branches

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed VirtualBox version by checking Help > About in the VirtualBox GUI or running 'VBoxManage --version' from the command line.
  2. 2. If running a 7.0.x version <= 7.0.22, download VirtualBox version 7.0.22 or later from the official VirtualBox download page (https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads).
  3. 3. If running a 7.1.x version <= 7.1.2, download VirtualBox version 7.1.2 or later from the official VirtualBox download page.
  4. 4. Ensure all running virtual machines are powered off (not just saved) before upgrading.
  5. 5. Run the installer for the new version and follow the upgrade prompts.
  6. 6. After installation, verify the new version by checking VBoxManage --version to confirm the patch was applied.
  7. 7. Test that existing virtual machines start and function correctly after the upgrade.
Caveat VirtualBox minor version upgrades are generally backward compatible with existing VMs; however, always backup VM images before upgrading as a precaution

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

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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-2024-21248 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