CVE-2026-21984

Hypervisor code execution via VMSVGA race condition

Published Jan 20, 2026 · Updated Jan 20, 2026

Local privilege escalation in Oracle VM VirtualBox 7.1.14 and 7.2.4 allows local users to execute code in the hypervisor. The VMSVGA device performs object operations without proper locking, creating an exploitable race between concurrent operations. Exploitation requires high-privileged code execution in a guest system; success crosses the guest boundary and executes arbitrary code in the hypervisor context.

CVSS severity7.5
High
EPSS probability0.21%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Local privilege escalation in Oracle VM VirtualBox 7.1.14 and 7.2.4 allows local users to execute code in the hypervisor. The VMSVGA device performs object operations without proper locking, creating an exploitable race between concurrent operations. Exploitation requires high-privileged code execution in a guest system; success crosses the guest boundary and executes arbitrary code in the hypervisor context.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-21984
Published
Jan 20, 2026
Updated
Jan 20, 2026
Vendor
Oracle
Product
Oracle VM VirtualBox
Classifications
CWE-284, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

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 vectorlocal
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

Oracle · Oracle VM VirtualBoxversion=7.1.14; version=7.2.4

Published CVSS scores

7.5OracleCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesadmin
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-284Improper Access Control
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

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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