CVE-2025-54629 is a race condition vulnerability identified in Huawei's HarmonyOS, specifically within the physical page import process of the memory management module. This vulnerability is categorized under CWE-362, which involves concurrent execution using shared resources without proper synchronization. The flaw arises when multiple threads or processes access and manipulate shared memory resources simultaneously without adequate locking or coordination mechanisms, leading to unpredictable behavior. In this case, the physical page import process is susceptible to such a race condition, potentially causing corruption or inconsistent state within the memory management subsystem. Successful exploitation could compromise the integrity of system services, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate memory states, disrupt normal operations, or escalate privileges. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of HarmonyOS, including 4.0.0 through 5.1.0, indicating a broad impact across recent releases. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.7, reflecting a medium severity level, with attack vector local (AV:L), requiring low attack complexity (AC:L), high privileges (PR:H), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability requires an attacker to have high-level privileges on the device, suggesting that exploitation is more likely in scenarios where an attacker has already gained some level of access, such as through insider threats or chained exploits. The lack of user interaction requirement means that once the attacker has the necessary privileges, exploitation can be automated or triggered without further user involvement.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-54629 can be significant, particularly for entities relying on Huawei HarmonyOS devices in their operational environments. The vulnerability's effect on service integrity means that critical systems could experience memory corruption or service disruptions, potentially leading to denial of service or unauthorized privilege escalation. This is particularly concerning for sectors such as telecommunications, government, and critical infrastructure, where Huawei devices and HarmonyOS may be deployed. The medium severity score reflects that while exploitation requires high privileges, the consequences of a successful attack are severe, impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability simultaneously. Organizations using HarmonyOS in IoT devices, mobile endpoints, or embedded systems may face risks of system instability or compromise, which could cascade into broader operational disruptions. Additionally, the absence of known exploits in the wild currently provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the presence of this vulnerability in multiple versions suggests a need for urgent attention to prevent future exploitation attempts.

Given the nature of the vulnerability and the absence of publicly available patches, European organizations should adopt a multi-layered mitigation approach. First, restrict access to devices running HarmonyOS to trusted personnel only, minimizing the risk of privilege escalation to the high level required for exploitation. Implement strict access controls and monitoring to detect any unauthorized attempts to gain elevated privileges. Employ runtime protection mechanisms that can detect anomalous memory management behavior or race condition exploitation attempts. Where possible, isolate HarmonyOS devices from critical network segments to limit potential lateral movement in case of compromise. Organizations should maintain up-to-date inventories of all HarmonyOS devices and monitor vendor communications closely for patch releases or security advisories. Once patches become available, prioritize their deployment following thorough testing. Additionally, consider implementing application whitelisting and integrity verification tools to detect unauthorized modifications to system components. For development environments using HarmonyOS, review and enhance synchronization mechanisms in custom code to prevent similar race conditions.