CVE-2021-37061
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to cause denial of service in Huawei smartphones by exploiting uncontrolled resource consumption in the screen projection application. Affected users are those with vulnerable Huawei devices running HarmonyOS. The attack could render the screen projection feature unusable.
💻 Affected Systems
- Huawei smartphones with HarmonyOS
📦 What is this software?
Harmonyos by Huawei
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete denial of service for screen projection functionality, potentially affecting device usability for projection-dependent workflows.
Likely Case
Temporary disruption of screen projection capabilities requiring device restart to restore functionality.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper patching and network segmentation limiting attack vectors.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local network access or physical proximity to target device
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: HarmonyOS 2.0.0.230 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://device.harmonyos.com/en/docs/security/update/security-bulletins-202109-0000001196270727
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check for system updates in Settings > System & updates > Software update. 2. Download and install available updates. 3. Restart device when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable screen projection feature
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable screen projection functionality
Network segmentation
allIsolate devices on separate network segments to limit attack surface
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable screen projection feature in device settings
- Implement network access controls to restrict who can communicate with affected devices
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check HarmonyOS version in Settings > About phone > HarmonyOS version. If version is earlier than 2.0.0.230, device is vulnerable.Check Version:
Settings > About phone > HarmonyOS versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify HarmonyOS version is 2.0.0.230 or later in Settings > About phone > HarmonyOS version.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual screen projection service crashes
- Excessive resource consumption by projection app
Network Indicators:
- Unusual network traffic to screen projection ports
- Multiple connection attempts to projection service
SIEM Query:
Device logs showing screen projection service failures or abnormal termination