CVE-2023-52715 – This CVE describes a permission management vuln... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-52715?

CVE-2023-52715 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). This CVE describes a permission management vulnerability in the SystemUI module of Huawei/HarmonyOS devices. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to affect system availability, potentially causing denial of service conditions. The vulnerability affects Huawei smartphones and tablets running HarmonyOS.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a permission management vulnerability in the SystemUI module of Huawei/HarmonyOS devices. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to affect system availability, potentially causing denial of service conditions. The vulnerability affects Huawei smartphones and tablets running HarmonyOS.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Huawei smartphones
Huawei tablets

Versions: HarmonyOS versions prior to security updates released in April 2024

Operating Systems: HarmonyOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Affects devices with SystemUI module - typically all standard configurations

📦 What is this software?

Harmonyos by Huawei

View all CVEs affecting Harmonyos →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete system unavailability or persistent denial of service affecting core device functionality

🟠

Likely Case

Temporary system instability, UI crashes, or reduced device performance

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact with proper access controls and updated software

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This appears to be a local privilege/permission issue requiring device access

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Could be exploited by malicious apps or users with physical/network access to device

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation likely requires some level of device access or malicious app installation

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: April 2024 security updates

Vendor Advisory: https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2024/4/

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Navigate to Settings > System & updates > Software update. 2. Check for updates. 3. Install April 2024 security update. 4. Restart device when prompted.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Restrict app installations

all

Only install apps from trusted sources like official app stores

Disable unknown sources

all

Prevent installation of apps from unknown sources

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict app installation policies and review installed applications
Monitor device performance and SystemUI crashes for potential exploitation attempts

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check HarmonyOS version in Settings > About phone > HarmonyOS version

Check Version:

Settings > About phone > HarmonyOS version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify HarmonyOS version is updated to include April 2024 security patches

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

SystemUI crashes
Permission denial errors in system logs
Unexpected SystemUI process restarts

Network Indicators:

None - local vulnerability

SIEM Query:

Not applicable - local device vulnerability

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-52715

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-732

Published: April 7, 2024

Last Updated: March 28, 2025

🔗 References

https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2024/4/ Not Applicable,Vendor Advisory
https://https://device.harmonyos.com/en/docs/security/update/security-bulletins-202404-0000001880501689 Vendor Advisory
https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2024/4/ Not Applicable,Vendor Advisory
https://https://device.harmonyos.com/en/docs/security/update/security-bulletins-202404-0000001880501689 Vendor Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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