CVE-2023-22436
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 · uneditedThe kernel subsystem function check_permission_for_set_tokenid within OpenHarmony-v3.1.5 and prior versions has an UAF vulnerability which local attackers can exploit this vulnerability to escalate the privilege to root.
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 · high confidenceOpenHarmony kernel contains a Use-After-Free (UAF) vulnerability in the check_permission_for_set_tokenid function. Local attackers can exploit this memory corruption issue to escalate privileges to root. The vulnerability affects OpenHarmony v3.1.5 and all prior versions.
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>= 3.1, <= 3.1.5CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm OpenHarmony installationCheck if OpenHarmony is present on the system by looking for /system/etc/param/ohos.ver or running 'getprop ro.build.version.sdk' or 'cat /proc/version' to examine kernel informationAffected if OpenHarmony is not found on the device/system
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Identify OpenHarmony versionRun 'getprop ro.build.version.release' or check /system/etc/param/ohos.version to obtain the installed OpenHarmony version numberAffected if The installed version is 3.1.5 or any prior version within the 3.1.x branch (e.g., 3.1.0, 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.3, 3.1.4)
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Check for the vulnerable tokenid moduleLook for the check_permission_for_set_tokenid function presence in kernel modules or system binaries by searching /system/lib/ or /system/bin/ directories, or examine kernel symbols if accessibleAffected if The tokenid permission check module exists and is actively used by the system
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Assess local user accessReview /etc/passwd and /etc/group to identify non-privileged local users, and check if multiple user accounts have shell accessAffected if Multiple local users exist with shell access or there are untrusted local accounts that could trigger the vulnerable code path
Your environment is affected if OpenHarmony version 3.1 through 3.1.5 is installed and the check_permission_for_set_tokenid functionality is present and accessible to local users.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataUpgrade to a patched OpenHarmony version beyond v3.1.5. If patching is not immediately possible, restrict local access to untrusted users and monitor for suspicious process activity.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-22436 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-22436 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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