CVE-2021-39988 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in Huawei's HarmonyOS version 2.0, specifically within the HwNearbyMain module. The vulnerability is classified as a NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476), which occurs when the software attempts to access or dereference a pointer that is set to NULL. This results in an invalid memory access, causing the affected process to crash or restart unexpectedly. The vulnerability does not require any privileges or user interaction to be exploited, and it can be triggered remotely over the network (Attack Vector: Network). The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.5, reflecting a high impact on availability (A:H) but no direct impact on confidentiality or integrity. The vulnerability's exploitation leads to a denial of service condition by forcing the process to restart, which could disrupt services relying on the HwNearbyMain module. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, and no official patches or mitigation links have been provided at the time of publication. The vulnerability was reserved in August 2021 and published in January 2022, indicating that it has been publicly known for some time but remains unpatched or unmitigated in many environments. Given that HarmonyOS is Huawei's proprietary operating system designed for IoT devices, smartphones, and other smart devices, this vulnerability could affect a range of consumer and industrial devices running this OS version. The lack of confidentiality and integrity impact suggests that the vulnerability is primarily a denial-of-service vector rather than an entry point for data breaches or privilege escalation.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2021-39988 is the potential disruption of services and devices running HarmonyOS 2.0. This could affect enterprises using Huawei smart devices, IoT deployments, or networked equipment that rely on the HwNearbyMain module for device discovery or communication. The forced process restarts could lead to intermittent outages, reduced reliability, and degraded user experience. In critical infrastructure or industrial environments where HarmonyOS devices are integrated, such disruptions could impact operational continuity. Although the vulnerability does not directly compromise data confidentiality or integrity, repeated denial-of-service conditions could be leveraged as part of a broader attack strategy to degrade system availability. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the availability of detailed vulnerability information means that attackers could develop exploits, especially given the low complexity of triggering a NULL pointer dereference. European organizations with Huawei device deployments should be aware of this risk, especially in sectors such as telecommunications, manufacturing, and smart city infrastructure where Huawei products are prevalent.

1. Monitor Huawei's official security advisories and update channels for patches addressing CVE-2021-39988 and apply them promptly once available. 2. Implement network-level controls to restrict access to services and modules related to HwNearbyMain, limiting exposure to untrusted networks. 3. Employ intrusion detection systems (IDS) and anomaly detection to identify unusual process restarts or denial-of-service patterns associated with this vulnerability. 4. Where possible, isolate HarmonyOS devices on segmented networks to reduce the blast radius of potential exploitation. 5. Conduct regular audits of Huawei device firmware and software versions to identify and inventory affected devices running HarmonyOS 2.0. 6. Engage with Huawei support channels to obtain guidance on interim mitigations or configuration changes that could reduce vulnerability exposure. 7. Develop incident response plans that include scenarios involving denial-of-service conditions on HarmonyOS devices to ensure rapid recovery and continuity. 8. Consider alternative device options or OS versions if critical systems cannot tolerate potential disruptions caused by this vulnerability.