CVE-2021-22323
📋 TL;DR
This integer overflow vulnerability in Huawei smartphones allows attackers to escalate privileges to root access. It affects multiple Huawei smartphone models running specific EMUI versions. Attackers need local access to exploit this vulnerability.
💻 Affected Systems
- Huawei P30
- Huawei P30 Pro
- Huawei Mate 30
- Huawei Mate 30 Pro
- Huawei Nova 5
- Huawei Nova 5 Pro
- Huawei Nova 5i
- Huawei Nova 5i Pro
- Huawei Nova 6
- Huawei Nova 6 5G
- Huawei Nova 7
- Huawei Nova 7 Pro
- Huawei Nova 7 SE
- Huawei Nova 7i
- Huawei Nova 8
- Huawei Nova 8 Pro
- Huawei Nova 8 SE
- Huawei Nova 8i
📦 What is this software?
Emui by Huawei
Emui by Huawei
Magic Ui by Huawei
Magic Ui by Huawei
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete device compromise with root-level access, allowing installation of persistent malware, data theft, and bypassing all security controls.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation enabling unauthorized access to sensitive data and system functions.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if devices are patched and have proper access controls preventing local attacker access.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access to device. No public exploit code available as of knowledge cutoff.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: EMUI 11.0.1.172 (C432E3R4P3) and later versions
Vendor Advisory: https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2021/5/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Go to Settings > System & updates > Software update. 2. Check for updates. 3. Download and install available security update. 4. Restart device when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict physical access
allPrevent unauthorized physical access to devices to reduce exploitation risk
Disable developer options
allEnsure developer options and USB debugging are disabled to limit attack surface
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate affected devices from sensitive networks and data
- Implement strict access controls and monitoring for device usage
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Settings > About phone > EMUI version. If version is EMUI 11.0.0 or EMUI 11.0.1 (before 11.0.1.172), device is vulnerable.Check Version:
Settings > About phone > EMUI version (no command line access required)Verify Fix Applied:
Verify EMUI version is 11.0.1.172 or later in Settings > About phone > EMUI version.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected privilege escalation events
- Root access attempts in system logs
- Unusual process execution with elevated privileges
Network Indicators:
- Unusual network traffic from device after local access
- Connections to suspicious domains/IPs following local compromise
SIEM Query:
Device logs showing privilege escalation from user to root on Huawei devices running EMUI 11.0.0-11.0.1