CVE-2021-22481
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a verification errors vulnerability in Huawei smartphones that could allow attackers to bypass security checks. Successful exploitation may compromise service confidentiality, potentially exposing sensitive data or communications. The vulnerability affects specific Huawei smartphone models running certain EMUI versions.
💻 Affected Systems
- Huawei smartphones
📦 What is this software?
Emui by Huawei
Magic Ui by Huawei
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could bypass security verification mechanisms to access confidential services, intercept sensitive communications, or extract protected data from affected devices.
Likely Case
Targeted attacks against specific Huawei smartphone users to access protected services or data that should require proper verification.
If Mitigated
With proper security controls and updated devices, the risk is significantly reduced to minimal exposure of non-critical services.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation likely requires some level of access or interaction with the device; no public exploit code available
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: EMUI 11.0.1.195 (C00E195R5P5) or later
Vendor Advisory: https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2021/7/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check current EMUI version in Settings > About phone. 2. If vulnerable, go to Settings > System & updates > Software update. 3. Download and install the latest security update. 4. Restart device after installation completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable services
allTemporarily disable or restrict access to services that might be affected by the verification bypass
Network segmentation
allIsolate affected devices from sensitive networks and services
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate affected devices from corporate networks and sensitive data
- Implement additional authentication layers for services accessed from vulnerable devices
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check EMUI version in Settings > About phone > EMUI version. If version is 11.0.0 or 11.0.1 (before 11.0.1.195), device is vulnerable.Check Version:
Settings > About phone > EMUI version (no CLI command available)Verify Fix Applied:
After update, verify EMUI version is 11.0.1.195 or later in Settings > About phone.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual verification bypass attempts in system logs
- Failed authentication events followed by successful access
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected service access from Huawei devices
- Anomalous traffic patterns from affected smartphones
SIEM Query:
device.vendor:Huawei AND os.version:11.0.* AND (event.type:auth_bypass OR event.type:verification_failure)