CVE-2026-25110 Overview
CVE-2026-25110 is a local denial of service vulnerability affecting OpenHarmony v6.0 and prior versions. The flaw stems from a null pointer dereference [CWE-476] that a local attacker with low privileges can trigger to disrupt availability. Successful exploitation does not affect confidentiality or integrity, but it can render the affected component unavailable.
Critical Impact
A local, low-privileged attacker can trigger a null pointer dereference in OpenHarmony v6.0 and prior to cause a denial of service on the affected device.
Affected Products
- OpenHarmony v6.0
- OpenHarmony versions prior to v6.0
- Devices and components built on the affected OpenHarmony releases
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-05-19 - CVE-2026-25110 published to NVD
- 2026-05-19 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-25110
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is classified as a null pointer dereference [CWE-476] within OpenHarmony v6.0 and earlier. When the affected code path is reached, the process accesses a pointer that has not been validated against NULL, causing the process or service to terminate abnormally. The result is a denial of service condition limited to the affected device.
The attack requires local access and low privileges. No user interaction is needed, and the scope remains unchanged. The vulnerability does not expose data or allow modification of system state beyond service disruption.
Because the issue is restricted to the local attack surface and limited to availability impact, its overall risk is constrained. However, on devices where OpenHarmony components support critical functions, repeated triggering of the flaw can affect uptime and reliability.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing validation of a pointer prior to dereference within an OpenHarmony component shipped in v6.0 and earlier releases. When the unvalidated pointer is accessed, the resulting fault terminates the affected process. Refer to the OpenHarmony Security Disclosure for component-level details.
Attack Vector
An attacker requires local access to the device and authenticated low-privilege execution context. The attacker invokes the vulnerable code path with inputs or state that lead to the unvalidated pointer dereference. The affected process crashes, producing the denial of service.
No verified public proof-of-concept code is available. Technical details are described in the vendor disclosure rather than reproduced here.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-25110
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected termination or repeated restarts of OpenHarmony system services or user-space components on affected devices.
- Kernel or system logs reporting segmentation faults or null pointer access in OpenHarmony components.
- Local processes spawned by low-privileged users immediately preceding service crashes.
Detection Strategies
- Monitor process crash telemetry on OpenHarmony devices for repeated faults in the same component or library.
- Correlate crash events with the executing user context to identify low-privileged accounts triggering faults.
- Track abnormal restart counts of OpenHarmony services as a behavioral signal for exploitation attempts.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Forward device crash dumps and system logs to a centralized logging or SIEM platform for analysis.
- Establish baselines for normal service restart frequency and alert on deviations.
- Review local account activity on OpenHarmony devices and restrict the ability to execute untrusted binaries.
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-25110
Immediate Actions Required
- Inventory all devices running OpenHarmony v6.0 or earlier and identify those exposed to untrusted local users.
- Apply vendor-supplied updates as soon as fixes for the affected component are published.
- Restrict local access to OpenHarmony devices to trusted users and processes only.
Patch Information
Refer to the OpenHarmony Security Disclosure for the authoritative list of affected components and remediation guidance. Upgrade to a fixed OpenHarmony release as published by the project.
Workarounds
- Limit local shell or application execution privileges on affected devices to reduce the local attack surface.
- Enforce automatic restart and watchdog policies for critical OpenHarmony services to recover from induced crashes.
- Audit installed third-party applications that may invoke the vulnerable code path and remove untrusted software.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
