CVE-2025-27577 Overview
CVE-2025-27577 is a race condition vulnerability in OpenHarmony v5.0.3 and prior versions. The flaw resides in the Trusted Computing Base (TCB) and allows a local attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution. The issue is tracked as CWE-362, concurrent execution using shared resource with improper synchronization. Successful exploitation grants execution within a privileged trust boundary, undermining the isolation guarantees of the operating system.
Critical Impact
A local attacker with low privileges can win a race condition in the TCB to execute arbitrary code, compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected device.
Affected Products
- OpenAtom OpenHarmony v5.0.3
- OpenAtom OpenHarmony prior versions
- Devices built on the affected OpenHarmony distributions
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-08-11 - CVE-2025-27577 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-27577
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is a race condition (Time-of-Check Time-of-Use class weakness) inside the OpenHarmony Trusted Computing Base. A TCB contains the components on which the security of the system depends, so any code execution in this boundary escalates attacker capability. Exploitation requires local access and low privileges, but no user interaction. The high attack complexity reflects the timing precision required to win the race window between check and use operations.
A successful attacker can substitute or modify a shared resource after validation but before use. The result is execution of attacker-controlled code with the privileges of the TCB component. This breaks process isolation and can be chained with subsequent activity to persist on the device.
Root Cause
The underlying defect is improper synchronization when the TCB accesses shared resources, classified as CWE-362. Two or more concurrent code paths operate on the same object without adequate locking or atomic verification. An attacker races the trusted process by modifying the resource state between the validation step and the operation that consumes it.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is local. An adversary needs code execution on the device with low privileges, for example through a compromised unprivileged application. The attacker then triggers the vulnerable TCB code path repeatedly while manipulating the shared resource. Refer to the OpenHarmony Security Disclosure for vendor-provided technical context.
No public proof-of-concept exploit is currently available, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-27577
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected child processes spawned by TCB components on OpenHarmony devices
- Repeated, rapid invocations of the same syscall or IPC endpoint from a low-privileged application, consistent with race-window brute forcing
- Unauthorized modifications to files or shared memory regions accessed by trusted services
Detection Strategies
- Monitor OpenHarmony audit logs for anomalous IPC patterns between unprivileged apps and TCB services
- Detect processes performing high-frequency access to the same trusted resource, which is characteristic of race-condition exploitation attempts
- Correlate low-privilege process activity with subsequent privileged code execution originating from trusted services
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable verbose auditing on TCB service interfaces and forward logs to a centralized analytics platform
- Baseline normal call patterns to trusted services so that timing-based anomalies are visible
- Track integrity of files and objects consumed by the TCB using file integrity monitoring
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-27577
Immediate Actions Required
- Inventory all OpenHarmony devices and confirm versions against v5.0.3 and prior
- Apply the OpenHarmony security update referenced in the 2025-08 security disclosure
- Restrict installation of untrusted third-party applications on affected devices to limit local attacker footholds
Patch Information
OpenAtom has published fix information through the OpenHarmony security bulletin. Consult the OpenHarmony Security Disclosure for August 2025 for the specific commits and versions containing the synchronization fix, then update devices to a version later than v5.0.3 that includes the patch.
Workarounds
- Enforce strict application vetting and code-signing policies to reduce the risk of a malicious local app reaching the vulnerable code path
- Apply least-privilege configuration to third-party applications and disable unnecessary services that interact with TCB components
- Isolate high-value OpenHarmony devices on segmented networks until patches are deployed
# Verify OpenHarmony version on target device
hdc shell param get const.ohos.releasetype
hdc shell param get const.ohos.fullname
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
