CVE-2025-54654
📋 TL;DR
A permission control vulnerability in Huawei Gallery module allows unauthorized access to protected content. This affects Huawei smartphone users who haven't applied security updates. Successful exploitation could compromise the confidentiality of photos and media stored in the Gallery app.
💻 Affected Systems
- Huawei smartphones with Gallery app
📦 What is this software?
Harmonyos by Huawei
Harmonyos by Huawei
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers gain unauthorized access to all photos and media in the Gallery, including sensitive personal content, leading to privacy violations and potential blackmail.
Likely Case
Local malicious apps bypass Gallery permission controls to access photos the user hasn't explicitly granted permission to view.
If Mitigated
With proper app sandboxing and permission controls, only authorized apps can access Gallery content as intended.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation likely requires a malicious app to be installed on the device and bypass Gallery permission checks.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: October 2025 security update or later
Vendor Advisory: https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2025/10/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Go to Settings > System & updates > Software update. 2. Check for updates. 3. Install October 2025 security update or later. 4. Verify update completes successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Gallery app permissions
allTemporarily restrict Gallery app permissions to reduce attack surface
Settings > Apps > Gallery > Permissions > Disable all permissions
Use alternative gallery app
allInstall and use a third-party gallery application instead of the vulnerable Huawei Gallery
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict installation of unknown apps: Settings > Security > Install unknown apps > Disable for all apps
- Use device encryption and strong lock screen to prevent physical access
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if device has October 2025 security update installed: Settings > About phone > Build numberCheck Version:
Settings > About phone > Build number (look for security patch level)Verify Fix Applied:
Verify October 2025 security patch is installed and Gallery app version is updated📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized Gallery access attempts in app logs
- Permission denial logs for Gallery app
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
app:"Gallery" AND event:"permission_denied" OR event:"unauthorized_access"