CVE-2026-35250 Overview
CVE-2026-35250 is a denial of service vulnerability affecting the Core component of Oracle VM VirtualBox. This easily exploitable vulnerability allows a high privileged attacker with local access to the infrastructure where Oracle VM VirtualBox executes to cause a partial denial of service condition. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-284 (Improper Access Control), indicating insufficient restrictions on resource access within the virtualization platform's core functionality.
Critical Impact
A privileged local attacker can disrupt VirtualBox availability, potentially affecting hosted virtual machines and dependent workloads.
Affected Products
- Oracle VM VirtualBox version 7.2.6
- Oracle Virtualization (Core component)
Discovery Timeline
- April 21, 2026 - CVE-2026-35250 published to NVD
- April 23, 2026 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-35250
Vulnerability Analysis
This vulnerability resides in the Core component of Oracle VM VirtualBox, which handles fundamental virtualization operations including memory management, CPU virtualization, and device emulation. The improper access control flaw enables an authenticated attacker with high privileges and local access to manipulate resources in a manner that degrades service availability.
The attack requires the adversary to have already obtained elevated privileges on the host system where VirtualBox is installed. Once positioned, the attacker can exploit the access control weakness to cause partial service disruption. While the scope is unchanged (meaning the vulnerability only affects VirtualBox itself and not other system components), the availability impact can interfere with virtual machine operations and dependent services.
Root Cause
The vulnerability stems from improper access control (CWE-284) within the VirtualBox Core component. This indicates that the software fails to properly restrict access to critical resources or operations, allowing high-privileged users to perform actions that should be constrained even at elevated privilege levels. The flaw likely exists in internal API boundaries or resource handling routines within the hypervisor core.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is local, requiring the attacker to have direct access to the host system running VirtualBox. The attack has low complexity and requires no user interaction, but does require high privileges (administrative or equivalent access) on the target system. Successful exploitation results in availability impacts only, with no effect on confidentiality or integrity.
The attacker would typically need to:
- Obtain high-privileged access to the host system
- Interact with VirtualBox Core component through local interfaces
- Trigger the improper access control condition
- Cause partial degradation of VirtualBox service availability
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-35250
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected VirtualBox service interruptions or partial outages
- Abnormal resource consumption by VirtualBox processes on the host system
- Unusual administrative activity targeting VirtualBox components
- Error logs indicating access control violations in VirtualBox Core
Detection Strategies
- Monitor VirtualBox service health and availability metrics for anomalies
- Audit privileged user activity on systems running VirtualBox
- Implement file integrity monitoring on VirtualBox installation directories
- Review system logs for unusual VirtualBox process behavior or crashes
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable verbose logging for VirtualBox operations to capture potential exploitation attempts
- Configure alerts for VirtualBox service degradation or unexpected restarts
- Monitor for privilege escalation attempts that could position attackers for exploitation
- Track administrative access to VirtualBox configuration and management interfaces
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-35250
Immediate Actions Required
- Update Oracle VM VirtualBox to the latest patched version as provided by Oracle
- Restrict local administrative access to systems running VirtualBox to essential personnel only
- Review and audit all privileged accounts with access to VirtualBox host systems
- Implement principle of least privilege for all users interacting with virtualization infrastructure
Patch Information
Oracle has addressed this vulnerability in their April 2026 Critical Patch Update. Organizations should apply the security update as soon as possible by following the guidance in the Oracle Critical Patch Update April 2026. The patch resolves the improper access control issue in the Core component of VirtualBox version 7.2.6.
Workarounds
- Limit local access to VirtualBox host systems to only trusted administrators
- Implement network segmentation to isolate virtualization infrastructure
- Monitor privileged user activity and enforce strong authentication requirements
- Consider deploying VirtualBox in hardened configurations with minimal exposed functionality until patching is complete
# Verify VirtualBox version before and after patching
VBoxManage --version
# Review current VirtualBox process status
systemctl status vboxdrv
# Audit users with access to VirtualBox management
getent group vboxusers
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
