What it is
CVE-2008-3431 is a vulnerability affecting Sun xVM 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...
Vulnerability report
Exploited in the wild
Confirmed confidence
In CISA KEV
CVE-2008-3431
xVM VirtualBox
Sun / xVM VirtualBox
- Severity
- CVSS 8.8 · High
- Confidence
- Confirmed
- Exploit status
- Exploited in the wild
- EPSS
- 6.9%
- First observed
- —
- Last observed
- —
Decision summary
What security teams need to know first
Direct answers before the deeper technical record.
Is it exploited?
Yes. KEV Intelligence tracks this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability. Confidence is confirmed.
Who is affected?
Sun / xVM VirtualBox.
What should we do?
Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.
Overview
xVM 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.
- Published
- 05 Aug 2008
- Exploitation Reported
- 03 Mar 2022
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
Tags
cisa
CVE References
- CVE Record CVE.org · CVE Record https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-3431
- 240095 sunsolve.sun.com · Vendor Advisory http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-66-240095-1
- 4107 securityreason.com · Third-Party Advisory http://securityreason.com/securityalert/4107
- 31361 secunia.com · Third-Party Advisory http://secunia.com/advisories/31361
- 6218 exploit-db.com · Exploit https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/6218
- 30481 securityfocus.com · VDB Entry http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/30481
- sun-xvmvirtualbox-privilege-escalation(44202) exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com · VDB Entry https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/44202
- ADV-2008-2293 vupen.com · VDB Entry http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2008/2293
- 1020625 securitytracker.com · VDB Entry http://securitytracker.com/id?1020625
- 20080804 CORE-2008-0716 - Sun xVM VirtualBox Privilege Escalation Vulnerability securityfocus.com · Mailing List http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/495095/100/0/threaded
- coresecurity.com/content/virtualbox-privilege-escalation-vuln... coresecurity.com · CVE Record http://www.coresecurity.com/content/virtualbox-privilege-escalation-v...
- virtualbox.org/wiki/Changelog virtualbox.org · CVE Record http://virtualbox.org/wiki/Changelog
Exploitation evidence
Why KEV Intelligence marks this CVE as exploited
Third-party attestation and first-party sensor observation are shown separately so teams can judge the evidence chain.
Exploited in the wild
CISA
Independent exploitation attestation added to the KEV Intelligence record.
Known exploited vulnerability sources
Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the KEV Intelligence Pro API.
Learn about Pro API access| Source | Added |
|---|---|
| CISA First | 2022-03-03 00:00 UTC |
Detection
Operational artifacts and observed signals
Make the evidence actionable in scanner, SOC, and edge-control workflows.
Observed signals
- Request targets
- 0
- User-Agents
- 0
Raw values available in Pro and Enterprise.
Scanner coverage
No scanner integrations recorded yet.
Virtual patch status
No KEV Intelligence virtual patch is currently available. Future rules ship for ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF.
Learn about virtual patches →No detection artifacts or sensor request patterns are available for this CVE yet.
Check back as sensor telemetry and scanner integrations are updated.
Risk and context
Severity, weaknesses, and research context
CVSS v3.1
8.8
High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS
6.9%
All CVSS Scores
CVSS v3.1
8.8
High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS v2.0
7.2
High
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Timeline
From disclosure to observed exploitation
-
Added to CISA KEV
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
-
CVE published
Vulnerability disclosed publicly
-
CVE ID reserved
Identifier reserved by the CNA
Pro API
Automate this intelligence
Confidence, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.
- Evidence confidence and provenance
- First-party sensor telemetry
- PoC and scanner references
- Affected versions and enrichment
- Automation-ready JSON delivery
GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2008-3431
Free JSON includes basic KEV fields{
"cve_id": "CVE-2008-3431",
"confidence": "Confirmed",
"cvss_score": 8.8,
"cvss_estimated": false,
"epss_score": 0.06932,
"exploit_status": {
"exploited_in_the_wild": true,
"active_exploitation_observed": false
},
"sensor_telemetry": { "attempts": 0, "sensors": 0 }
}Early warning alerts
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