Overview
The vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-27128, represents a significant risk to systems running OpenHarmony v5.0.3 and prior versions. It allows a local attacker to execute arbitrary code in tcb through a use-after-free flaw, posing a severe threat to system integrity and data security. This vulnerability is especially concerning for businesses and organizations that depend on OpenHarmony for their operations, as a successful exploit can lead to system compromise and data leakage.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-27128
Severity: High (8.4 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
OpenHarmony | v5.0.3 and prior versions
How the Exploit Works
The exploit takes advantage of a use-after-free vulnerability in OpenHarmony’s tcb component. An attacker with local access can exploit this vulnerability by making the system use memory that has been freed. This allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running tcb. The exploit is possible due to inadequate memory management within the tcb component.
Conceptual Example Code
An attacker might exploit this vulnerability by executing a shell command that triggers the use-after-free vulnerability, allowing them to run arbitrary code. The following pseudocode illustrates this concept:
# Attacker gains local access
login -u user -p password
# Attacker triggers use-after-free vulnerability in tcb
trigger_use_after_free('tcb')
# Attacker executes arbitrary code
execute_arbitrary_code('payload')Mitigation Guidance
The most effective way to mitigate this vulnerability is by applying patches provided by the vendor. We strongly recommend all OpenHarmony users update their systems to the latest version. For temporary mitigation, users can employ a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to monitor and block potential attacks exploiting this vulnerability. However, these measures are not a long-term solution and should only be used until patches can be applied.