CVE-2025-68969 is a concurrency-related vulnerability classified under CWE-362, identified in Huawei's HarmonyOS thermal management module. The vulnerability stems from a race condition caused by improper synchronization when multiple threads access shared resources concurrently. This flaw can lead to inconsistent system states or resource conflicts, resulting in degraded system availability or crashes. The affected versions include HarmonyOS 5.0.1, 5.1.0, and 6.0.0. The attack vector is local (AV:L), requiring no privileges (PR:N) or user interaction (UI:N), which means an attacker with local access can exploit the flaw without authentication. The impact primarily affects availability (A:H), with no confidentiality or integrity loss reported. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.8, indicating medium severity. No known exploits have been observed in the wild, and no patches have been published yet. The vulnerability's presence in the thermal management module is critical because improper thermal control can cause system instability or shutdowns, affecting device reliability. The race condition could be triggered by crafted local processes or applications that induce concurrent access to the thermal management resources, leading to denial of service or system crashes. Given Huawei's significant market share in certain European markets, this vulnerability poses a tangible risk to organizations relying on HarmonyOS-powered devices, especially in environments where device availability is critical.

For European organizations, the primary impact is on system availability, potentially causing device crashes or denial of service conditions. This can disrupt business operations, especially in sectors relying on Huawei devices for communication, IoT, or industrial control. The lack of confidentiality or integrity impact reduces risks related to data breaches but does not mitigate operational risks. The local attack vector means that exploitation requires physical or local network access, limiting remote exploitation but increasing risk in shared or less secure environments. Organizations with Huawei-powered infrastructure or employee devices running affected HarmonyOS versions may experience service interruptions, impacting productivity and operational continuity. Critical infrastructure or industries with stringent uptime requirements could face significant challenges if this vulnerability is exploited. The absence of known exploits currently reduces immediate risk but underscores the need for proactive mitigation.

1. Restrict local access to devices running affected HarmonyOS versions by enforcing strict physical security and network segmentation to limit potential attackers. 2. Monitor system logs and thermal management module behavior for anomalies indicative of race condition triggers or system instability. 3. Implement application whitelisting and restrict installation of untrusted local applications that could exploit the race condition. 4. Prepare for rapid deployment of patches or updates from Huawei once available; maintain close communication with Huawei support channels. 5. Conduct internal audits to identify all devices running affected HarmonyOS versions and prioritize them for monitoring and eventual patching. 6. Educate users about the risks of running untrusted local code and enforce least privilege principles to reduce attack surface. 7. Consider deploying endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting unusual process behavior related to thermal management. 8. For critical environments, evaluate fallback or redundancy plans to maintain availability in case of device failure due to exploitation.