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CVE Record

CVE-2021-2296: Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core).

Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). The supported version that is affected is Prior to 6.1.20. Difficult to exploit 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. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 5.3 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N).

MediumCVSS 5.3Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2021-2296 affects Oracle VM VirtualBox before 6.1.20. It is not remotely exploitable by an unauthenticated attacker; it requires a highly privileged local attacker. The business concern is confidentiality: successful exploitation could expose critical data accessible through VirtualBox and may affect related products.

Executive priority

Treat as a moderate-priority virtualization hygiene issue. It is less urgent than unauthenticated remote code execution, but sensitive or shared VirtualBox hosts should be patched promptly because confidentiality impact can be high.

Technical view

Oracle describes a Core component vulnerability in VM VirtualBox prior to 6.1.20. CVSS 3.1 is 5.3: local attack vector, high complexity, high privileges, no user interaction, changed scope, high confidentiality impact, no integrity or availability impact.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely on workstations, build hosts, labs, or servers running Oracle VM VirtualBox versions earlier than 6.1.20, especially where multiple privileged users can log on to the host infrastructure.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. Oracle rates exploitation as difficult and requiring high privileges with logon access where VirtualBox executes.

Researcher notes

Key constraints are local access, high attack complexity, high privileges, and confidentiality-only impact in the CVSS vector. The provided sources do not include CWE detail or exploit evidence; avoid assuming broader product exposure beyond Oracle's stated possible downstream impact.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade Oracle VM VirtualBox to 6.1.20 or a later supported release.
  • Apply Oracle April 2021 Critical Patch Update guidance where applicable.
  • Use distribution security guidance for packaged VirtualBox deployments, such as Gentoo GLSA-202208-36.
  • Restrict privileged local access on systems running VirtualBox.
  • Prioritize hosts that process sensitive data or support shared virtualization workflows.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory systems running Oracle VM VirtualBox.
  • Confirm installed VirtualBox versions are not prior to 6.1.20.
  • Identify hosts where multiple privileged users can log on.
  • Review whether VirtualBox can access sensitive local or shared data.
  • Confirm remediation against Oracle or distribution package advisories.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
5

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

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CVE-2021-2296 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
5.3 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

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

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
4Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
5.3CVSS 3.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N0.84Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

5.3Medium
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2021-2296Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

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

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
Oracle CorporationVM VirtualBoxunspecifiedListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.