CVE-2021-37057 – This CVE describes an Improper Validation of Ar... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2021-37057?

CVE-2021-37057 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). This CVE describes an Improper Validation of Array Index vulnerability in Huawei smartphones running HarmonyOS. Attackers could exploit this to cause a denial of service by forcing the device to restart. All users of affected Huawei smartphones with vulnerable HarmonyOS versions are impacted.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes an Improper Validation of Array Index vulnerability in Huawei smartphones running HarmonyOS. Attackers could exploit this to cause a denial of service by forcing the device to restart. All users of affected Huawei smartphones with vulnerable HarmonyOS versions are impacted.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Huawei smartphones running HarmonyOS

Versions: HarmonyOS 2.0 versions before 2.0.0.230

Operating Systems: HarmonyOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Specific smartphone models not detailed in advisory; all devices running affected HarmonyOS versions are vulnerable.

📦 What is this software?

Harmonyos by Huawei

View all CVEs affecting Harmonyos →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Persistent denial of service through repeated device restarts, potentially disrupting critical communications or functionality.

🟠

Likely Case

Temporary denial of service causing device restart, interrupting active applications and services.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if patched; unpatched devices remain vulnerable to restart attacks.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires local access or malicious app installation; no public exploit code available.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: HarmonyOS 2.0.0.230 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://device.harmonyos.com/en/docs/security/update/security-bulletins-202109-0000001196270727

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Check current HarmonyOS version in Settings > System & updates > Software update. 2. If version is before 2.0.0.230, download and install the latest update. 3. Restart device after installation completes.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Restrict app installations

all

Prevent installation of untrusted applications that could exploit the vulnerability.

Enable 'Install from trusted sources only' in device security settings

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Monitor device for unexpected restarts and investigate suspicious activity
Limit device usage to essential functions until patch can be applied

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check HarmonyOS version in Settings > System & updates > Software update. If version is earlier than 2.0.0.230, device is vulnerable.

Check Version:

Settings > System & updates > Software update (no CLI command available)

Verify Fix Applied:

After updating, verify HarmonyOS version is 2.0.0.230 or later in Settings > System & updates > Software update.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unexpected device restarts in system logs
Crash reports from affected system components

Network Indicators:

None - local exploitation only

SIEM Query:

Device logs showing repeated unexpected restarts within short timeframes

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2021-37057

CVSS v3 Score: 7.5 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CWE: CWE-129

Published: December 7, 2021

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://device.harmonyos.com/en/docs/security/update/security-bulletins-202109-0000001196270727 Vendor Advisory
https://device.harmonyos.com/en/docs/security/update/security-bulletins-202109-0000001196270727 Vendor Advisory

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

If you're affected by CVE-2021-37057, you might also want to check these: