CVE-2022-41597 is a set of vulnerabilities identified in Huawei's HarmonyOS version 2.0, specifically within the fingerprint trusted application (TA). The vulnerabilities include a heap overflow, out-of-bounds read, and null pointer dereference. These issues arise from improper memory handling in the fingerprint TA, which is responsible for managing fingerprint authentication services on the device. Exploiting these vulnerabilities could lead to denial of service or potentially impact the integrity of the fingerprint service, though no direct confidentiality compromise is indicated. The heap overflow (CWE-787) and out-of-bounds read (CWE-125) suggest that an attacker could manipulate memory beyond allocated buffers, while the null pointer dereference (CWE-476) could cause application crashes. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 3.4 (low severity), reflecting that the attack vector is local (AV:L), requires low complexity (AC:L), high privileges (PR:H), no user interaction (UI:N), and impacts integrity and availability but not confidentiality. No known exploits are reported in the wild, and no patches are currently linked, indicating the vulnerability may be under monitoring or in early disclosure stages.

For European organizations, the direct impact of this vulnerability is limited due to the requirement for local high privileges to exploit it, which reduces the likelihood of remote attacks. However, organizations using Huawei HarmonyOS devices, especially in sectors where fingerprint authentication is critical for access control or secure transactions, could face service disruptions or integrity issues with biometric authentication. This could affect user trust and operational continuity, particularly in environments relying on mobile device authentication for sensitive applications. The low CVSS score and absence of known exploits suggest a low immediate risk, but the potential for denial of service or fingerprint service malfunction could have operational impacts in high-security contexts.

Organizations should ensure that all Huawei HarmonyOS devices are monitored for updates and patches from Huawei addressing this vulnerability. Since no patches are currently linked, maintaining strict device access controls to prevent unauthorized local access is critical. Limiting administrative privileges on devices and enforcing strong endpoint security policies can reduce exploitation risk. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing multi-factor authentication mechanisms that do not solely rely on fingerprint services to mitigate potential service disruptions. Regular security audits of mobile device management policies and user privilege reviews will help minimize exposure. Monitoring device logs for abnormal fingerprint service behavior may provide early detection of exploitation attempts.