CVE-2025-54608 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in Huawei's HarmonyOS versions 5.0.1 and 5.1.0. The vulnerability stems from improper permission verification in the screen management module, specifically allowing unauthorized setting of the device's screen rotation direction. The core issue relates to CWE-264, which concerns improper permissions, privileges, and access controls. In this case, the system fails to verify whether the requesting entity has the necessary permissions before allowing changes to screen orientation. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.2, reflecting a medium severity level. The vector indicates that the attack requires local access (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and impacts availability (A:H) without affecting confidentiality or integrity. Exploiting this vulnerability would enable an attacker with local access to arbitrarily change the screen orientation, potentially disrupting user experience or device usability. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the vulnerability could be leveraged in targeted scenarios where local access is feasible, such as through malicious apps or insider threats. The lack of confidentiality and integrity impact limits the scope of damage, but the availability impact could cause denial of service or hinder device operation. No official patches have been linked yet, indicating that affected users should monitor for updates from Huawei. The vulnerability is specific to Huawei's HarmonyOS, which is primarily deployed on Huawei devices, including smartphones, tablets, and IoT devices running this operating system version.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-54608 is primarily operational disruption on devices running HarmonyOS. Since the vulnerability allows arbitrary screen orientation changes without permission, it could be exploited to degrade user experience or cause confusion, potentially impacting productivity in environments relying on HarmonyOS devices. While it does not compromise data confidentiality or integrity, the availability impact could interfere with critical applications, especially in sectors where device usability is crucial, such as manufacturing, healthcare, or logistics using Huawei devices. The requirement for local access limits remote exploitation risks, but insider threats or physical access scenarios remain relevant. Additionally, organizations using HarmonyOS-based IoT devices might face challenges if screen orientation changes affect device interfaces or monitoring systems. Given Huawei's market presence in Europe is growing but still limited compared to other OS platforms, the overall impact is moderate but should not be overlooked in environments with Huawei device deployments.

To mitigate CVE-2025-54608, European organizations should: 1) Inventory and identify all devices running affected HarmonyOS versions (5.0.1 and 5.1.0) to assess exposure. 2) Restrict physical and local access to Huawei devices to trusted personnel only, minimizing the risk of local exploitation. 3) Monitor for official Huawei security advisories and promptly apply patches or updates once available. 4) Implement application whitelisting and restrict installation of untrusted or unauthorized apps that could exploit local vulnerabilities. 5) Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of monitoring unusual screen orientation changes or related anomalous behaviors. 6) Educate users about the risks of granting local access and encourage reporting of unexpected device behavior. 7) For IoT deployments, consider network segmentation to isolate vulnerable devices and limit potential impact. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on access control, monitoring, and proactive patch management tailored to the specific nature of this vulnerability.