Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a critical Huawei EMUI vulnerability in the HW_KEYMASTER module. The reported flaw is a missing length check that can cause an out-of-bounds read. The public record rates it 9.8 CVSS, but the supplied sources do not show active exploitation or provide detailed exploit context.
Executive priority
Treat this as high-priority remediation for any managed Huawei devices on affected EMUI versions. The available evidence supports critical severity, but not confirmed exploitation. Business urgency depends on how many affected devices remain in use and whether they can be updated.
Technical view
CVE-2021-46887 affects Huawei EMUI 11.0.0, 10.1.1, and 10.1.0. The module performs insufficient length validation, potentially enabling out-of-bounds read behavior. The CVSS vector is network-accessible, low complexity, unauthenticated, no user interaction, unchanged scope, with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited in the supplied sources to Huawei EMUI versions 11.0.0, 10.1.1, and 10.1.0. Organizations should identify Huawei mobile devices or managed endpoints running those EMUI versions, especially where updates are delayed or unsupported.
Exploitation context
The CVE is not listed as CISA KEV in the provided bundle, and no cited source reports active exploitation. The severity is driven by the CVSS 9.8 vector and the potential impact of memory-safety failure in HW_KEYMASTER.
Researcher notes
Public details are sparse: no CWE, no proof-of-concept, and no source-provided fix version beyond Huawei’s bulletin reference. Focus validation on version exposure, vendor bulletin status, and whether HW_KEYMASTER-related security updates have been applied.
Mitigation direction
- Check Huawei’s May 2023 security bulletin for vendor remediation guidance.
- Update affected Huawei EMUI devices through supported Huawei update channels.
- Retire or replace affected devices that cannot receive security updates.
- Prioritize managed or business-critical devices running EMUI 11.0.0, 10.1.1, or 10.1.0.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Huawei EMUI device versions across managed and high-risk environments.
- Confirm whether devices run EMUI 11.0.0, 10.1.1, or 10.1.0.
- Verify vendor security updates are installed where available.
- Document unsupported affected devices for replacement or compensating controls.
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
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CVE-2021-46887 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
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:H/I:H/A:H3.95.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.8CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/bulletin/2023/5/CVE reference
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.