How severe is CVE-2026-21981?

CVE-2026-21981 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.6, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity none, and availability low.

Is CVE-2026-21981 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (2nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-21981?

CVE-2026-21981 primarily affects Oracle Vm Virtualbox. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2026-21981?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

Does CVE-2026-21981 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2026-21981 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2026-3531.

When was CVE-2026-21981 published?

CVE-2026-21981 was published on 2026-01-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2026-21981

CVE-2026-21981 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Oracle Vm Virtualbox with a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.6. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-269.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 4.6)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (2nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2026-3531
Weakness: CWE-269
Affected product: Oracle Vm Virtualbox
Published: 2026-01-20
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Supported versions that are affected are 7.1.14 and 7.2.4. Easily exploitable 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 (scope change). Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data and unauthorized ability to cause a partial denial of service (partial DOS) of Oracle VM VirtualBox. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 4.6 (Confidentiality and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:L).

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-21981?: Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Supported versions that are affected are 7.1.14 and 7.2.4. Easily exploitable 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 (scope change). Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle VM VirtualBox accessible data and unauthorized ability to cause a partial denial of service (partial DOS) of Oracle VM VirtualBox. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 4.6 (Confidentiality and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:L).
How severe is CVE-2026-21981?: CVE-2026-21981 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.6, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity none, and availability low.
Is CVE-2026-21981 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (2nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2026-21981?: CVE-2026-21981 primarily affects Oracle Vm Virtualbox. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2026-21981?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
Does CVE-2026-21981 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2026-21981 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2026-3531.
When was CVE-2026-21981 published?: CVE-2026-21981 was published on 2026-01-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2026.html

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:a:oracle:vm_virtualbox:7.1.14:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:oracle:vm_virtualbox:7.2.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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