CVE-2025-48904 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in Huawei's HarmonyOS version 5.0.0. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-288, which pertains to authentication bypass using an alternate path or channel. Specifically, this flaw allows unauthorized cards to invoke APIs within the Facial Recognition Service (FRS) process without proper authentication. The FRS process is a critical component responsible for biometric authentication and related security functions. By exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker could bypass intended access controls and call APIs that should be restricted, potentially disrupting the normal operation of the FRS. Although the CVSS score is 4.4 (medium), indicating limited impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, the primary concern is availability degradation. The attack vector is local (AV:L), requiring local access to the device, with low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), but user interaction is necessary (UI:R). The scope remains unchanged (S:U), and the impact on confidentiality and integrity is low, with no impact on availability according to the CVSS vector, though the description suggests availability may be affected. No known exploits are currently in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. This vulnerability highlights a design weakness in the authentication mechanisms of HarmonyOS's biometric services, allowing unauthorized API calls through alternate channels, which could be leveraged to disrupt service availability or potentially escalate further attacks if combined with other vulnerabilities.

For European organizations using Huawei HarmonyOS devices, particularly those deploying version 5.0.0, this vulnerability could lead to service disruptions in biometric authentication systems. Organizations relying on HarmonyOS-powered devices for secure access control, identity verification, or other security-sensitive operations may experience degraded availability of facial recognition services, potentially causing operational delays or denial of service in authentication workflows. While the direct impact on confidentiality and integrity is low, the availability impact could affect user experience and system reliability. In sectors such as finance, healthcare, or government where biometric authentication is critical, even temporary unavailability could hinder secure access and compliance. Additionally, since exploitation requires local access and user interaction, the risk is somewhat mitigated in remote or well-controlled environments but remains a concern in scenarios where devices are physically accessible or users might be socially engineered. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but organizations should remain vigilant given the potential for future exploit development.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Restrict physical access to HarmonyOS devices to trusted personnel only, minimizing opportunities for local exploitation. 2) Educate users about the risks of interacting with untrusted prompts or applications that might trigger unauthorized API calls, reducing the likelihood of user interaction exploitation. 3) Monitor device logs and biometric service activity for unusual API calls or failures in the FRS process that could indicate exploitation attempts. 4) Employ device management solutions to enforce strict application whitelisting and control over installed cards or modules that interact with the FRS process. 5) Coordinate with Huawei for timely receipt and deployment of patches or updates addressing this vulnerability once available. 6) Consider implementing additional layers of authentication or fallback mechanisms in critical systems relying on HarmonyOS biometric services to maintain availability in case of service disruption. 7) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focusing on local privilege escalation and authentication bypass scenarios to identify and remediate similar weaknesses proactively.