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HIGH · CVSS 8.8 CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability

CVE-2008-3431

Oracle VirtualBox Insufficient Input Validation Vulnerability

Oracle VirtualBox

The VBoxDrvNtDeviceControl function in VBoxDrv.sys in Sun xVM VirtualBox before 1.6.4 uses the METHOD_NEITHER communication method for IOCTLs and does not properly validate a buffer associated with the Irp object, which allows local users to gain privileges by opening the \\.\VBoxDrv device and calling DeviceIoControl to send a crafted kernel address.

CVSS
8.8
HIGH
EPSS
6.9%
30-day exploitation
Ransomware groups
0
recorded exploiting
Published
5 Aug 2008
NVD

Exploitation status

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

Listed by CISA on 3 March 2022. US federal agencies were required to remediate it by 24 March 2022.

EPSS — exploitation probability

FIRST puts the probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days at 6.9%, which is higher than 94% of all scored vulnerabilities. EPSS is a forecast of activity, not a measure of severity, and it is rescored daily.

CVSS vector

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

Frequently asked questions

Is CVE-2008-3431 being exploited by ransomware groups?

No ransomware group in this database is currently recorded as exploiting CVE-2008-3431.

What does CVE-2008-3431 affect?

CVE-2008-3431 affects Oracle VirtualBox. The VBoxDrvNtDeviceControl function in VBoxDrv.sys in Sun xVM VirtualBox before 1.6.4 uses the METHOD_NEITHER communication method for IOCTLs and does not properly validate a buffer associated with the Irp object, which allows local users to gain privileges by opening the \\.\VBoxDrv device and calling DeviceIoControl to send a crafted kernel address.

How severe is CVE-2008-3431?

CVE-2008-3431 is rated HIGH with a CVSS base score of 8.8. EPSS puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 6.9%, higher than 94% of all scored vulnerabilities. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, with a federal remediation deadline of 24 March 2022.

How should organisations respond to CVE-2008-3431?

Apply the vendor patch for Oracle VirtualBox as the first priority, and treat any internet-facing instance as the most urgent. Because this vulnerability is associated with ransomware activity, also review whether the affected systems were reachable before patching, rather than assuming that patching alone closes the incident.