CVE-2025-21084
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 · uneditedin OpenHarmony v5.0.2 and prior versions allow a local attacker arbitrary code execution in pre-installed apps through through NULL pointer dereference.. This vulnerability can be exploited only in restricted scenarios.
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 confidenceThis is a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in OpenHarmony v5.0.2 and prior versions that allows a local attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution within pre-installed system applications. The vulnerability requires local access to the device and is only exploitable under specific restricted conditions, making it less readily weaponizable than remote or easier-to-trigger flaws.
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>= 4.1.0, <= 5.0.2CVSS 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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Determine OpenHarmony versionRun 'param get version' or check /etc/version file, or use 'syscap' command to display system capability informationAffected if Installed version is >= 4.1.0 and <= 5.0.2
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Identify vulnerable NULL pointer dereference componentSearch for applications or modules related to pre-installed system apps in the /system/app or /system/framework directories. Use 'ls -la /system/app/' to list pre-installed applicationsAffected if Pre-installed system applications exist in the device and the vulnerable code path is present in the affected version range
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Check for local access vectorVerify if shell or debug access is available on the device. Check if ADB debugging or local terminal access is enabled via 'getprop persist.sys.adb.config' or similar system propertiesAffected if Local attacker can execute commands on the device, which is required for exploitation
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Verify system application permissionsExamine the permissions and capabilities of pre-installed system applications in /etc/permissions/ or via 'dumpsys package <appname>' for each pre-installed appAffected if Pre-installed apps have elevated privileges that could be exploited after successful NULL pointer dereference
The device is affected if it runs OpenHarmony version 4.1.0 through 5.0.2 and contains pre-installed system applications that can be locally accessed by an attacker.
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 v5.0.2 when available. Apply any vendor security updates promptly and maintain device physical security to limit local attack vector exposure.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA5.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $10,368.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-21084 — 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-2025-21084 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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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.
- 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