CVE-2026-21982

Unauthenticated takeover from adjacent networks

Published Jan 20, 2026 · Updated Jan 20, 2026

Improper access control in Oracle VM VirtualBox Core 7.1.14 and 7.2.4 allows remote attackers to take over the product via TCP. Oracle has not disclosed the faulty Core operation or how crafted TCP traffic bypasses the intended access control. Exploitation requires access to the physical communication segment attached to the host, no credentials or user interaction, and high attack complexity; success grants complete control over VirtualBox.

CVSS severity7.5
High
EPSS probability0.23%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper access control in Oracle VM VirtualBox Core 7.1.14 and 7.2.4 allows remote attackers to take over the product via TCP. Oracle has not disclosed the faulty Core operation or how crafted TCP traffic bypasses the intended access control. Exploitation requires access to the physical communication segment attached to the host, no credentials or user interaction, and high attack complexity; success grants complete control over VirtualBox.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-21982
Published
Jan 20, 2026
Updated
Jan 20, 2026
Vendor
Oracle
Product
Oracle VM VirtualBox
Classifications
CWE-284, T1210
Attack vector
adjacent
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jan 20, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Jan 20, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=7.1.14
  2. Affected versionversion=7.2.4

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectoradjacent
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Oracle · Oracle VM VirtualBoxversion=7.1.14; version=7.2.4

Published CVSS scores

7.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
7.5OracleCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectoradjacent
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-284Improper Access Control
T1210Exploitation of Remote Services

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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