OpenharmonyApplication

CVE-2022-42488

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-10-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.1.2 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
OpenHarmony-v3.1.2 and prior versions have a Missing permission validation vulnerability in param service of startup subsystem. An malicious application installed on the device could elevate its privileges to the root user, disable security features, or cause DoS by disabling particular services.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

OpenHarmony v3.1.2 and prior versions contain a missing permission validation vulnerability in the param service of the startup subsystem. This allows any malicious application installed on the device to manipulate system parameters without proper authorization checks, enabling privilege escalation to root, disabling security features, or causing denial of service by stopping critical services.

MitigationApply any available vendor patches for OpenHarmony. Until patched, restrict application installations to trusted sources and monitor for suspicious application behavior. The vulnerability requires a code-level fix to add proper permission validation in the param service.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
OpenharmonyApplication
Affected:>= 3.1, < 3.1.2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the OpenHarmony version
    Check the system or build configuration file for the OpenHarmony version number (typically found in build configuration, system properties, or the version manifest file)
    Affected if The installed version is 3.1.0, 3.1.1, or any version >= 3.1 but less than 3.1.2
  2. Verify the param service is present
    Inspect the startup subsystem components to confirm the param service module is included in the build
    Affected if The param service module exists in the startup subsystem and is included in the device firmware
  3. Confirm application installation is permitted
    Review device settings or policy configurations to determine if installation of applications from untrusted or third-party sources is allowed
    Affected if The device permits installation of applications from sources other than trusted, vetted app stores
  4. Check for unauthorized system parameter modifications
    Review system parameter values (typically stored in /param or similar system directories) for unexpected or malicious changes, particularly parameters related to security settings, service configurations, or root access controls
    Affected if System parameters have been modified to values that enable root privileges, disable security features, or alter critical service configurations
  5. Monitor for suspicious application behavior
    Audit application permissions and behavior logs for any installed applications that are accessing or modifying system parameters without appropriate privileges
    Affected if Any application has manipulated system parameters despite lacking authorized permissions

A device is affected if it runs OpenHarmony version 3.1.0 or 3.1.1 (any version >= 3.1 but below 3.1.2) and has the param service enabled, particularly if the device allows installation of third-party applications.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.1.2 or later
Fixed in 3.1.2
Interim mitigation

Apply any available vendor patches for OpenHarmony. Until patched, restrict application installations to trusted sources and monitor for suspicious application behavior. The vulnerability requires a code-level fix to add proper permission validation in the param service.

Recommended fix High confidence

OpenHarmony 3.1.2 or later

  1. Upgrade OpenHarmony from any version >= 3.1 and < 3.1.2 to version 3.1.2 or later
  2. After upgrade, verify the param service in the startup subsystem is functioning correctly
  3. Confirm the permission validation is now enforced in the param service
Caveat Review release notes for any changes to param service behavior or API compatibility

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Openharmony Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA5.0 h
33.0 hours of engineering $5,760
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $9,216.

Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-42488 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data