CVE-2008-3431

CRITICALNVD 8.89.0▲
EchelonGraph scoreHIGH confidence

Score elevated to 9.0 because this CVE is listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-03-03), indicating real-world exploitation has been confirmed by US federal agencies. NVD baseline CVSS 8.8 retained for reference. Confidence: HIGH.

Triggered by: CISA KEV (actively exploited)
Sources: cisa_kev, epss, ghsa, nvd
Trending — 4 sources updated this weekExploited in the wild
9.0EG
EchelonGraph verdictPatch nowTreat as an emergency — this is being exploited.
  • Actively exploited in the wild (CISA-KEV)
CISA-KEV: ExploitedEPSS PROB: 7%CVSS: 8.8Exploit: cisa kev · ssvc active · Exploit-DB (verified) · public exploitExposed: 0

No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.

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.

CVSS v3
8.8
EG Score
9.0(high)
EG Risk
81(Attend)
EG Risk 81/100SSVC: Attend

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).

How it’s computed
Severity90% × 45%
Exploitation100% × 40%
Automatability0% × 15%
Action: Remediate soon — notable exploitation risk.
EPSS PROB
7%
EPSS %ILE
94%
KEV
⚠ Exploited

Published

August 5, 2008

Last Modified

April 22, 2026

Advisory Details (7)

Auto-updated May 2, 2026
🔬 Proof of concept available. No patch confirmed yet.
generic

IBM X-Force Exchange

https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/44202
generic

VUPEN Security - Vulnerability Research and Intelligence

http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2008/2293
generic
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/30481
generic
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/495095/100/0/threaded
generic

Oracle VirtualBox

http://virtualbox.org/wiki/Changelog
generic🟡 PoC Available

Sun xVM VirtualBox Privilege Escalation Vulnerability - CXSecurity.com

http://securityreason.com/securityalert/4107
generic

About Secunia Research | Flexera

http://secunia.com/advisories/31361

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 55× in last 7d / 241× in last 30d)

Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.

Showing the most recent 100 of 957 total refreshes for this CVE.

  1. 2026-09-25 16:07 UTCGHSA enrichment
  2. 2026-09-25 14:55 UTCCISA KEV update
  3. 2026-09-25 12:14 UTCGHSA enrichment
  4. 2026-09-25 08:20 UTCGHSA enrichment
  5. 2026-09-25 04:27 UTCGHSA enrichment
  6. 2026-09-25 00:34 UTCGHSA enrichment
  7. 2026-09-24 20:41 UTCGHSA enrichment
  8. 2026-09-24 19:31 UTCCISA KEV update
  9. 2026-09-24 16:48 UTCEG score recompute
  10. 2026-09-24 16:48 UTCGHSA enrichment
  11. 2026-09-24 12:55 UTCGHSA enrichment
  12. 2026-09-24 09:02 UTCGHSA enrichment
  13. 2026-09-24 05:09 UTCGHSA enrichment
  14. 2026-09-24 01:15 UTCGHSA enrichment
  15. 2026-09-23 21:23 UTCGHSA enrichment
  16. 2026-09-23 17:30 UTCGHSA enrichment
  17. 2026-09-23 13:38 UTCEG score recompute
  18. 2026-09-23 13:38 UTCGHSA enrichment
  19. 2026-09-23 09:45 UTCGHSA enrichment
  20. 2026-09-23 05:52 UTCGHSA enrichment
  21. 2026-09-23 01:59 UTCGHSA enrichment
  22. 2026-09-22 22:06 UTCGHSA enrichment
  23. 2026-09-22 19:36 UTCCISA KEV update
  24. 2026-09-22 18:12 UTCEG score recompute
  25. 2026-09-22 18:12 UTCGHSA enrichment
Show 75 more
  1. 2026-09-22 14:19 UTCGHSA enrichment
  2. 2026-09-22 10:26 UTCGHSA enrichment
  3. 2026-09-22 06:33 UTCGHSA enrichment
  4. 2026-09-22 02:40 UTCGHSA enrichment
  5. 2026-09-21 22:46 UTCEG score recompute
  6. 2026-09-21 22:46 UTCGHSA enrichment
  7. 2026-09-21 19:09 UTCCISA KEV update
  8. 2026-09-21 18:53 UTCGHSA enrichment
  9. 2026-09-21 15:00 UTCGHSA enrichment
  10. 2026-09-21 11:07 UTCGHSA enrichment
  11. 2026-09-21 07:14 UTCGHSA enrichment
  12. 2026-09-21 03:16 UTCGHSA enrichment
  13. 2026-09-20 23:23 UTCGHSA enrichment
  14. 2026-09-20 19:29 UTCGHSA enrichment
  15. 2026-09-20 15:36 UTCGHSA enrichment
  16. 2026-09-20 11:42 UTCGHSA enrichment
  17. 2026-09-20 07:46 UTCGHSA enrichment
  18. 2026-09-20 03:51 UTCGHSA enrichment
  19. 2026-09-19 23:57 UTCGHSA enrichment
  20. 2026-09-19 20:04 UTCGHSA enrichment
  21. 2026-09-19 16:11 UTCEG score recompute
  22. 2026-09-19 16:11 UTCGHSA enrichment
  23. 2026-09-19 12:18 UTCGHSA enrichment
  24. 2026-09-19 08:24 UTCGHSA enrichment
  25. 2026-09-19 04:31 UTCGHSA enrichment
  26. 2026-09-19 00:38 UTCGHSA enrichment
  27. 2026-09-18 20:46 UTCEG score recompute
  28. 2026-09-18 20:46 UTCGHSA enrichment
  29. 2026-09-18 19:20 UTCEPSS rescore
  30. 2026-09-18 19:20 UTCCISA KEV update
  31. 2026-09-18 16:53 UTCGHSA enrichment
  32. 2026-09-18 14:15 UTCCISA KEV update
  33. 2026-09-18 13:00 UTCGHSA enrichment
  34. 2026-09-18 09:07 UTCGHSA enrichment
  35. 2026-09-18 05:14 UTCGHSA enrichment
  36. 2026-09-18 01:21 UTCGHSA enrichment
  37. 2026-09-17 21:28 UTCEG score recompute
  38. 2026-09-17 21:28 UTCGHSA enrichment
  39. 2026-09-17 19:20 UTCEPSS rescore
  40. 2026-09-17 17:34 UTCGHSA enrichment
  41. 2026-09-17 13:10 UTCGHSA enrichment
  42. 2026-09-17 09:17 UTCGHSA enrichment
  43. 2026-09-17 05:24 UTCGHSA enrichment
  44. 2026-09-17 01:31 UTCGHSA enrichment
  45. 2026-09-16 21:37 UTCGHSA enrichment
  46. 2026-09-16 17:44 UTCEG score recompute
  47. 2026-09-16 17:44 UTCGHSA enrichment
  48. 2026-09-16 14:10 UTCCISA KEV update
  49. 2026-09-16 13:48 UTCGHSA enrichment
  50. 2026-09-16 09:55 UTCGHSA enrichment
  51. 2026-09-16 06:02 UTCEG score recompute
  52. 2026-09-16 06:02 UTCGHSA enrichment
  53. 2026-09-16 02:08 UTCGHSA enrichment
  54. 2026-09-15 22:15 UTCGHSA enrichment
  55. 2026-09-15 18:21 UTCGHSA enrichment
  56. 2026-09-15 14:28 UTCGHSA enrichment
  57. 2026-09-15 10:34 UTCGHSA enrichment
  58. 2026-09-15 06:37 UTCEG score recompute
  59. 2026-09-15 06:37 UTCGHSA enrichment
  60. 2026-09-15 03:04 UTCEPSS rescore
  61. 2026-09-15 02:44 UTCGHSA enrichment
  62. 2026-09-14 22:51 UTCGHSA enrichment
  63. 2026-09-14 19:24 UTCCISA KEV update
  64. 2026-09-14 18:58 UTCGHSA enrichment
  65. 2026-09-14 15:05 UTCGHSA enrichment
  66. 2026-09-14 11:12 UTCGHSA enrichment
  67. 2026-09-14 07:20 UTCGHSA enrichment
  68. 2026-09-14 03:27 UTCGHSA enrichment
  69. 2026-09-13 23:35 UTCGHSA enrichment
  70. 2026-09-13 19:42 UTCEG score recompute
  71. 2026-09-13 19:42 UTCGHSA enrichment
  72. 2026-09-13 16:40 UTCEPSS rescore
  73. 2026-09-13 15:49 UTCGHSA enrichment
  74. 2026-09-13 11:56 UTCGHSA enrichment
  75. 2026-09-13 08:03 UTCGHSA enrichment

Publicly available exploits

(1 reference)

Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Exploit-DB entry). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.

  • Exploit-DBEDB-6218✓ verified
    First seen Aug 10, 2008

    Sun xVM VirtualBox < 1.6.4 - Privilege Escalation (PoC)

    Open source ↗

Frequently asked(6)

What is CVE-2008-3431?
CVE-2008-3431 is a critical vulnerability published on August 5, 2008. 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…
When was CVE-2008-3431 disclosed?
CVE-2008-3431 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on August 5, 2008, with the most recent update on April 22, 2026. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2008-3431 actively exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2008-3431 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on March 3, 2022, affecting Oracle VirtualBox. KEV listing indicates confirmed exploitation in the wild; this CVE warrants immediate patching attention.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2008-3431?
CVE-2008-3431 has a CVSS v3 base score of 8.8 (NVD). EchelonGraph synthesises NVD + CISA KEV + FIRST EPSS + GHSA into a combined EG score of 9.0.
Which products are affected by CVE-2008-3431?
CVE-2008-3431 affects Oracle VirtualBox. The full affected-products list, including version ranges and fixed versions, is shown in the Affected Packages section of this page.
How do I remediate CVE-2008-3431?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2008-3431, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

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