Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This affects Huawei HarmonyOS 2.0 in the HwNearbyMain module. It is an availability issue: successful exploitation may restart a process. The sources do not claim data theft or data modification. Business urgency depends on whether the organization manages HarmonyOS 2.0 systems where process stability matters.
Executive priority
High priority only for organizations with HarmonyOS 2.0 assets in scope. The known impact is process restart and service availability, not data compromise. If such assets support critical workflows, validate patch status promptly; otherwise, treat as inventory-driven remediation.
Technical view
CVE-2021-39987 is described as a data processing error in HwNearbyMain, mapped to CWE-843. CVSS 3.1 is 7.5 with network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, and no user interaction. Impact is availability only, with high availability impact and no stated confidentiality or integrity impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited by the supplied sources to Huawei HarmonyOS version 2.0. Organizations without HarmonyOS 2.0 assets are unlikely to be affected. The bundle does not provide vulnerable build ranges, CPEs, or device model details, so inventory validation is necessary.
Exploitation context
The CVE is not listed as KEV in the supplied bundle. No cited source in the bundle states active exploitation or provides exploit availability. Treat this as a remotely reachable denial-of-service risk based on the CVSS vector, not as confirmed in-the-wild exploitation.
Researcher notes
The public data is sparse. The CVSS vector indicates remote, unauthenticated, no-user-interaction availability impact, but the bundle does not include technical root cause details, affected build granularity, exploit indicators, or specific mitigations beyond vendor bulletin review.
Mitigation direction
- Identify any Huawei HarmonyOS 2.0 assets in managed environments.
- Review Huawei’s November 2021 HarmonyOS security bulletin for vendor guidance.
- Apply Huawei-provided security updates where applicable.
- Prioritize systems where process restarts could disrupt business operations.
- Monitor affected assets for unexpected HwNearbyMain or related process restarts.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether any managed assets run Huawei HarmonyOS 2.0.
- Compare device security patch status against Huawei’s referenced bulletin.
- Check operational logs for repeated process restarts on affected devices.
- Document assets where patch applicability cannot be confirmed.
- Track vendor advisories for any later clarification or fixed build details.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-843: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-39987 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H3.93.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.5HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://device.harmonyos.com/en/docs/security/update/security-bulletins-202111-0000001217889667CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type ('Type Confusion')
Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type ('Type Confusion') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.