CVE-2025-54652 in HarmonyOS
Summary
by MITRE • 08/06/2025
Path traversal vulnerability in the virtualization base module. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may affect the confidentiality of the virtualization module.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/18/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical path traversal flaw within the virtualization base module of the affected system, potentially exposing sensitive data and compromising the confidentiality of virtualization components. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and improper handling of file paths during virtualization operations, allowing attackers to manipulate directory traversal sequences and access restricted system resources. Such flaws typically arise from insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input or improper boundary checking in file system operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability enables adversaries to exploit weak path validation mechanisms within the virtualization framework, potentially allowing them to navigate beyond intended directories and access confidential virtual machine configurations, guest operating system files, or hypervisor metadata. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-22, which specifically addresses path traversal and directory traversal issues in software systems. The attack vector likely involves sending specially crafted requests or parameters that bypass normal access controls, enabling unauthorized file system access through the virtualization interface.
Operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it can potentially lead to complete compromise of virtualization environments and facilitate further attacks within the infrastructure. Attackers may leverage this vulnerability to extract virtual machine disk images, configuration files, or sensitive credentials stored within the virtualization module. The confidentiality breach could enable attackers to gain insights into the entire virtualization infrastructure, potentially leading to privilege escalation, lateral movement, or complete system compromise. This vulnerability particularly affects environments where virtualization is used for multi-tenant deployments, as it could allow one tenant to access another tenant's virtual resources.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust input validation and sanitization mechanisms throughout the virtualization module, enforcing strict path validation controls, and applying the principle of least privilege to virtualization components. Security measures must include proper boundary checking, canonicalization of file paths, and comprehensive access control enforcement within the virtualization framework. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation, monitoring for suspicious path traversal attempts, and regular security assessments of virtualization components. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following security best practices outlined in the ATT&CK framework, particularly in the context of privilege escalation and credential access techniques that could leverage such path traversal flaws to gain unauthorized access to sensitive virtualization resources.