CVE-2025-46587 is a permission control vulnerability identified in the media library module of Huawei's HarmonyOS version 5.0.0. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-264, which pertains to improper permissions, privileges, and access controls. Specifically, this flaw allows unauthorized local attackers to access sensitive media library services without requiring any privileges or user interaction. According to the CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N), the attack vector is local, with low attack complexity, no privileges required, and no user interaction needed. The scope remains unchanged, and the impact is high on confidentiality, with no impact on integrity or availability. This means an attacker with local access to the device can exploit the vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to confidential media data, potentially leading to leakage of sensitive information stored or processed by the media library module. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no official patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability was published on May 6, 2025, and was reserved on April 25, 2025. The lack of required privileges or user interaction significantly lowers the barrier for exploitation, making it a notable security concern for devices running the affected HarmonyOS version.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability could be significant, especially for those using Huawei devices running HarmonyOS 5.0.0 in corporate or sensitive environments. The unauthorized access to media library services could lead to exposure of confidential multimedia data, including potentially sensitive audio, video, or image files. This could compromise personal privacy, intellectual property, or confidential communications. Organizations in sectors such as telecommunications, media, government, and critical infrastructure that deploy Huawei HarmonyOS devices may face increased risks of data leakage. Moreover, the local attack vector implies that physical access or access to a compromised internal network device is necessary, which could be a concern in environments with less stringent physical security controls or insider threats. Although the vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability, the confidentiality breach alone could result in regulatory non-compliance under GDPR and other European data protection laws, leading to legal and financial repercussions.

To mitigate this vulnerability effectively, European organizations should: 1) Immediately audit and inventory all Huawei devices running HarmonyOS 5.0.0 within their environment to identify potentially affected systems. 2) Restrict physical and local network access to these devices, enforcing strict access controls and monitoring to prevent unauthorized local exploitation. 3) Implement device usage policies that limit the installation and execution of untrusted applications that could leverage this vulnerability. 4) Monitor for unusual access patterns or attempts to access media library services locally, using endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools tailored to HarmonyOS if available. 5) Engage with Huawei for timely updates and patches, and prioritize patch deployment once available. 6) Consider network segmentation to isolate devices running HarmonyOS from sensitive network segments. 7) Educate users and administrators about the risks of local access vulnerabilities and enforce strong physical security measures. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on access control hardening, monitoring, and proactive device management specific to the affected platform and vulnerability characteristics.