CVE-2021-37069 – This CVE describes a race condition vulnerabili... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2021-37069?

CVE-2021-37069 has a CVSS score of 7.4 (HIGH). This CVE describes a race condition vulnerability in Huawei smartphones that could allow attackers to disrupt device availability. The vulnerability affects Huawei devices running HarmonyOS or EMUI. Successful exploitation could cause denial of service conditions on affected devices.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a race condition vulnerability in Huawei smartphones that could allow attackers to disrupt device availability. The vulnerability affects Huawei devices running HarmonyOS or EMUI. Successful exploitation could cause denial of service conditions on affected devices.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Huawei smartphones

Versions: Specific HarmonyOS and EMUI versions as detailed in Huawei security bulletins

Operating Systems: HarmonyOS, EMUI

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Affects Huawei smartphones with specific software versions; exact models and versions detailed in Huawei security advisories.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete device unavailability or crash requiring reboot, potentially disrupting critical functions on affected smartphones.

🟠

Likely Case

Temporary service disruption or application crashes affecting user experience and device functionality.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact with proper patching and security controls in place.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: HIGH

Race condition vulnerabilities typically require precise timing and local access, making exploitation challenging.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: As specified in Huawei security bulletins from September/November 2021

Vendor Advisory: https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2021/11/

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Check for system updates in device settings. 2. Install the latest security update from Huawei. 3. Reboot device after installation.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Limit device access

all

Restrict physical and application access to reduce exploitation surface

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict device usage to trusted applications only
Implement device management policies to monitor for abnormal behavior

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check device software version in Settings > About phone and compare with Huawei security bulletins

Check Version:

Settings > About phone > Software information

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify installed software version matches or exceeds patched versions in Huawei advisories

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unexpected application crashes
System service failures
Abnormal process termination

SIEM Query:

Search for multiple rapid process failures or system service restarts within short timeframes

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2021-37069

CVSS v3 Score: 7.4 (HIGH)

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

CWE: CWE-362

Published: December 8, 2021

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2021/11/ Vendor Advisory
https://device.harmonyos.com/en/docs/security/update/security-bulletins-202109-0000001196270727 Vendor Advisory
https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2021/11/ Vendor Advisory
https://device.harmonyos.com/en/docs/security/update/security-bulletins-202109-0000001196270727 Vendor Advisory

📤 Share & Export

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