CVE-2024-3757 in OpenHarmony
Summary
by MITRE • 05/07/2024
in OpenHarmony v4.0.0 and prior versions allow a local attacker cause service crash through integer overflow.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/02/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-3757 affects OpenHarmony versions 4.0.0 and earlier, presenting a critical security risk that enables local attackers to induce service crashes via integer overflow conditions. This flaw resides within the operating system framework of OpenHarmony, which is designed as a distributed operating system for various IoT and smart device applications. The integer overflow vulnerability represents a fundamental programming error that can have severe operational consequences, particularly in embedded systems where stability and reliability are paramount for device functionality.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and arithmetic overflow handling within the system's core components. When processing certain data inputs, the affected OpenHarmony versions fail to properly validate integer values, allowing malicious local users to craft inputs that exceed the maximum representable value for the data type being used. This overflow condition typically occurs in scenarios involving buffer operations, memory allocation calculations, or loop counter management where integer values are manipulated without proper bounds checking. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-190, which specifically addresses integer overflow conditions, and represents a classic example of improper integer handling that can lead to unpredictable system behavior including crashes, memory corruption, or potential privilege escalation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire device ecosystem that relies on OpenHarmony. Local attackers with access to the system can exploit this weakness to cause denial of service conditions, making devices unreliable for their intended purposes. In IoT environments where OpenHarmony devices may control critical infrastructure or personal data, such crashes could lead to broader system failures or security breaches. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires minimal privileges to exploit, as local access is sufficient to trigger the integer overflow condition, making it accessible to users with basic system permissions or even malicious processes running on the same device.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-3757 should prioritize immediate patch deployment for all affected OpenHarmony installations, with security teams monitoring for exploitation attempts. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation measures across all system components, particularly those handling user data or external inputs. The fix typically involves adding proper bounds checking and integer overflow detection mechanisms within the affected code paths, ensuring that all arithmetic operations are validated against maximum and minimum representable values. System administrators should also consider implementing runtime monitoring and anomaly detection to identify potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of adhering to secure coding practices and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for resource exhaustion, where system stability is compromised through manipulation of arithmetic operations. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be implemented to identify similar vulnerabilities in other system components, with particular attention to integer handling patterns throughout the OpenHarmony codebase to prevent future occurrences of such critical flaws.