CVE-2025-23414 Overview
CVE-2025-23414 is a use-after-free vulnerability [CWE-416] affecting OpenHarmony versions 5.0.2 and earlier. The flaw allows a local, authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code within pre-installed applications on the device. According to the OpenAtom advisory, exploitation is limited to restricted scenarios, which constrains the practical attack surface. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability at the process privilege level of the affected pre-installed apps.
Critical Impact
A local attacker with low privileges can trigger use-after-free memory corruption in OpenHarmony to achieve arbitrary code execution inside pre-installed applications.
Affected Products
- OpenAtom OpenHarmony v5.0.2
- OpenAtom OpenHarmony prior versions
- Devices running vulnerable OpenHarmony builds with pre-installed applications
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-03-04 - CVE-2025-23414 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-23414
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is a use-after-free condition within OpenHarmony components used by pre-installed applications. Use-after-free flaws arise when a program continues to reference memory that has already been released. An attacker who controls the timing and contents of subsequent allocations can steer freed memory to hold attacker-influenced data. When the dangling pointer is dereferenced, the process operates on that data, enabling control-flow or data-only attacks.
Because the flaw resides in code paths reachable from pre-installed apps, exploitation grants execution inside those app contexts rather than kernel space. The advisory notes that exploitation requires restricted scenarios, indicating additional preconditions such as specific app states or privileged local interfaces.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper object lifetime management within an OpenHarmony component invoked by pre-installed applications. A reference to a freed object is retained and later dereferenced, permitting arbitrary read, write, or control-flow influence depending on the reclaimed allocation.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is local. An attacker must have local access with low privileges on the device and no user interaction is required. The scope remains unchanged, meaning code execution stays confined to the vulnerable process boundary. Refer to the OpenHarmony Security Disclosure 2025 for the vendor's technical description.
No verified proof-of-concept exploit is publicly available in exploit databases at the time of publication.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-23414
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected crashes, segmentation faults, or tombstone logs generated by pre-installed OpenHarmony applications
- Anomalous process behavior originating from pre-installed app contexts, including unexpected child processes or file writes
- Local application logs showing repeated invocation of the affected component prior to a crash
Detection Strategies
- Monitor OpenHarmony device logs and hilog output for repeated abnormal termination signatures in pre-installed apps
- Baseline the behavior of pre-installed applications and alert on deviations such as unexpected native library loads or IPC calls
- Correlate local process crashes with subsequent execution of untrusted binaries or scripts on the device
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable centralized collection of device telemetry, including crash dumps and application lifecycle events, for OpenHarmony fleets
- Track advisories from the OpenHarmony security disclosure page for patch and detection updates
- Review installed application inventories to identify devices exposing the vulnerable pre-installed apps
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-23414
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all devices running OpenHarmony v5.0.2 or earlier and prioritize them for patching
- Restrict local access to affected devices by enforcing device passcodes and limiting sideloaded applications
- Audit pre-installed applications and disable or remove non-essential ones that expose the vulnerable component
Patch Information
OpenAtom has published remediation guidance in the OpenHarmony Security Disclosure 2025. Administrators should upgrade to a fixed OpenHarmony release beyond v5.0.2 as identified in the vendor advisory and validate that device builds incorporate the corresponding component fixes.
Workarounds
- Limit physical and local shell access to OpenHarmony devices until patched builds are deployed
- Disable or restrict the affected pre-installed applications where operationally feasible
- Apply application allowlisting policies to prevent installation of untrusted local software that could stage the exploit
# Configuration example: verify OpenHarmony build version on affected devices
hdc shell param get const.ohos.releasetype
hdc shell param get const.ohos.fullname
# Compare returned version against the fixed release noted in the OpenHarmony advisory
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
