# CVE-2008-3431: Oracle VirtualBox Insufficient Input Validation

> Local attackers can gain privileges by sending crafted IOCTLs to the VirtualBox driver due to improper buffer validation in kernel mode.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Yes, since 3 Mar 2022 (CISA KEV)
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 5 Aug 2008
- **Updated:** 22 Oct 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-pxp3-358m-6vfm

## What is CVE-2008-3431?

CVE-2008-3431 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 5 Aug 2008. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-3431?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Oracle Virtualbox.

## How do I fix CVE-2008-3431?

No fix has been published for CVE-2008-3431 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available. US federal agencies must fix it by 24 Mar 2022.

## Is CVE-2008-3431 being exploited?

Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2008-3431 in the wild since at least 3 Mar 2022.

Public exploit code:

- Sun xVM VirtualBox < 1.6.4 - Privilege Escalation (PoC) (exploitdb)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2008-3431 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2008-3431 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 5 Aug 2008. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2008-3431 in the wild since at least 3 Mar 2022.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-3431/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-3431/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-3431
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-3431
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2008-3431

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-3431/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.