CVE-2023-44111
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a vulnerability in Huawei device authentication modules that allows brute-force attacks. Attackers can repeatedly attempt authentication to potentially gain unauthorized access, compromising service confidentiality. This affects Huawei devices running HarmonyOS with vulnerable authentication implementations.
💻 Affected Systems
- Huawei devices with HarmonyOS
📦 What is this software?
Emui by Huawei
Emui by Huawei
Emui by Huawei
Harmonyos by Huawei
Harmonyos by Huawei
Harmonyos by Huawei
Harmonyos by Huawei
Harmonyos by Huawei
Harmonyos by Huawei
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers gain unauthorized access to device services, potentially compromising sensitive data, user accounts, or device control.
Likely Case
Attackers brute-force weak credentials to access limited services or user data, leading to information disclosure.
If Mitigated
With proper rate limiting and strong authentication controls, attackers cannot successfully brute-force credentials within practical timeframes.
🎯 Exploit Status
Brute-force attacks are well-understood techniques requiring only network access to authentication endpoints.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: HarmonyOS security updates from October 2023
Vendor Advisory: https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2023/10/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check for available HarmonyOS updates in device settings. 2. Apply the latest security update. 3. Restart device as prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Implement authentication rate limiting
allConfigure authentication systems to limit failed attempts per account/IP
Enforce strong password policies
allRequire complex passwords and regular rotation to reduce brute-force success
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network-level rate limiting and monitoring for authentication attempts
- Isolate affected devices from untrusted networks and implement strict access controls
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check HarmonyOS version in device settings and compare against Huawei's October 2023 security bulletinsCheck Version:
Settings > About phone > HarmonyOS versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify HarmonyOS version is updated beyond vulnerable versions listed in security bulletins📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed authentication attempts from single source
- Unusual authentication patterns
Network Indicators:
- High volume of authentication requests to device endpoints
- Repeated failed login attempts
SIEM Query:
source_ip=* AND (event_type="authentication_failure") COUNT > 10 WITHIN 5 minutes🔗 References
- https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2023/10/
- https://device.harmonyos.com/en/docs/security/update/security-bulletins-202310-0000001663676540
- https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2023/10/
- https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2023/10/
- https://device.harmonyos.com/en/docs/security/update/security-bulletins-202310-0000001663676540
