CVE-2025-68963VulnerabilityPublished 14 Jan 2026

CVE-2025-68963: Huawei HarmonyOS · Weak Password Requirements

Affects Huawei HarmonyOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.7 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 08:30 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.7Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 2% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Adjacent
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Adjacent: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack, but the attack is limited at the protocol level to a logically adjacent topology. This can mean an attack must be launched from the same shared physical (e.g., Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11) or logical (e.g., local IP subnet) network, or from within a secure or otherwise limited administrative domain (e.g., MPLS, secure VPN to an administrative network zone).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: Required: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires a user to take some action before the vulnerability can be exploited.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 14 Jan 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
HuaweiHarmonyOS	Affected =4.3.1	Fixed in–
HuaweiEMUI	Affected =15.0.0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should implement the following measures: 1) Enforce strong password policies specifically for the Clone module, ensuring complexity and length requirements to prevent easy guessing or brute force attacks. 2) Apply network segmentation and isolation to restrict access to the Clone module communications, limiting exposure to trusted devices and users only. 3) Monitor network traffic for signs of man-in-the-middle attacks, such as unexpected certificate changes or anomalous communication patterns. 4) Educate users to recognize and avoid suspicious prompts or interactions related to device cloning processes. 5) Coordinate with Huawei for timely updates or patches addressing this vulnerability and prioritize their deployment once available. 6) Consider disabling or restricting the Clone module functionality if not essential to reduce the attack surface. 7) Employ endpoint security solutions capable of detecting and blocking MitM attempts on local networks. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on the specific module and attack vector involved.

Description

CVE-2025-68963 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Huawei's HarmonyOS version 4.3.1, caused by weak password requirements in the Clone module. This flaw enables a man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack that can compromise service confidentiality without impacting integrity or availability. Exploitation requires network-level access and some user interaction but no privileges. There are no known exploits in the wild, and no patches have been released yet. The vulnerability primarily threatens confidentiality by allowing attackers to intercept sensitive data during cloning operations. European organizations using HarmonyOS devices, especially those in sectors relying on Huawei technology, could be at risk. Mitigation involves enforcing stronger password policies, network segmentation, and monitoring for suspicious MitM activities. Countries with higher Huawei device adoption and strategic interest in Huawei technology, such as Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the UK, are most likely affected.

Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a confidentiality risk, particularly for those using Huawei HarmonyOS devices in their infrastructure or consumer products. Sensitive data transmitted during device cloning or synchronization could be intercepted by attackers positioned on the same or adjacent network segments. This could lead to exposure of proprietary information, user credentials, or configuration data, potentially facilitating further attacks or espionage. Sectors such as telecommunications, government, and critical infrastructure that rely on Huawei technology may face increased risk. Although the vulnerability does not directly affect system integrity or availability, the breach of confidentiality could undermine trust and compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR. The requirement for adjacent network access and user interaction limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments with shared or poorly segmented networks.

Summary

CVE-2025-68963 identifies a vulnerability in Huawei HarmonyOS version 4.3.1 related to weak password requirements in the Clone module, classified under CWE-521. The Clone module facilitates device or service duplication processes, and its weak password enforcement allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks. In such an attack, an adversary intercepts communications between two parties without their knowledge, potentially capturing sensitive information. The vulnerability does not affect the integrity or availability of the service but compromises confidentiality by exposing data transmitted during cloning operations. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N) indicates that the attack requires adjacent network access, low attack complexity, no privileges, and some user interaction, with a high impact on confidentiality only. No known exploits have been reported, and no official patches are currently available. The weakness stems from insufficient password complexity enforcement, which facilitates the MitM attack by making it easier for attackers to guess or bypass authentication mechanisms in the Clone module. This vulnerability highlights the risks of inadequate authentication controls in critical system components, especially in IoT and mobile operating systems like HarmonyOS.

CWE-521Weak Password Requirements (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A07:2025: Authentication Failures (opens in a new tab)
The product does not require that users should have strong passwords.
Architecture and Design
A product's design should require adherance to an appropriate password policy. Specific password requirements depend strongly on contextual factors, but it is recommended to contain the following attributes: Enforcement of a minimum and maximum length; Restrictions against password reuse; Restrictions against using…
Architecture and Design
Consider a second authentication factor beyond the password, which prevents the password from being a single point of failure. See CWE-308 for further information.
Implementation
Consider implementing a password complexity meter to inform users when a chosen password meets the required attributes.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
OWASP Authentication (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V2.1.2 (opens in a new tab)
V2.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
V2.1.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Dictionary-based Password Attack (opens in a new tab)
Password Brute Forcing (opens in a new tab)
Kerberoasting (opens in a new tab)
Rainbow Table Password Cracking (opens in a new tab)
Remote Services with Stolen Credentials (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2026/1// (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 21 Jan 2026, 20:35 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-521

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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