CVE-2023-46765
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability involves uncaught exceptions in the NFC module, which could allow attackers to disrupt NFC functionality. Successful exploitation affects NFC availability on Huawei devices running HarmonyOS. The vulnerability is rated with a CVSS score of 7.5, indicating a high-severity issue.
💻 Affected Systems
- Huawei smartphones and tablets with NFC capability
📦 What is this software?
Emui by Huawei
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
Complete denial of NFC services, preventing contactless payments, device pairing, and other NFC-dependent functionality on affected devices.
Likely Case
Temporary disruption of NFC functionality requiring device restart, potentially impacting user convenience and business operations relying on NFC.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper patching and monitoring; NFC functionality remains available with normal performance.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires triggering specific uncaught exceptions in the NFC module, likely through crafted NFC interactions.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Security updates released in November 2023
Vendor Advisory: https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2023/11/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check for system updates in device settings. 2. Install the latest security update from November 2023 or later. 3. Restart the device after installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable NFC functionality
allTemporarily disable NFC to prevent exploitation until patching is complete
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable NFC functionality in device settings
- Implement physical security controls to prevent unauthorized NFC interactions
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check HarmonyOS version in Settings > About phone > HarmonyOS version. If version predates November 2023 security updates, device is vulnerable.Check Version:
Settings > About phone > HarmonyOS versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify HarmonyOS version includes November 2023 security updates and test NFC functionality.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- NFC service crashes or restarts
- Unhandled exception logs in NFC module
SIEM Query:
Search for NFC service crash events or exception logs in device/system logs🔗 References
- https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2023/11/
- https://device.harmonyos.com/en/docs/security/update/security-bulletins-202311-0000001729189597
- https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2023/11/
- https://device.harmonyos.com/en/docs/security/update/security-bulletins-202311-0000001729189597
