CVE-2026-101178 in HarmonyOS
Summary
by MITRE • 11/02/2026
Permission control vulnerability in the autofill service module. Impact: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may affect service confidentiality.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/02/2026
The identified security flaw resides within the autofill service module, representing a critical failure in access control mechanisms that governs how user data is retrieved and processed by the application. This type of vulnerability typically stems from insufficient validation of user privileges or session context when handling requests related to form auto-completion features. In many modern web applications and mobile operating systems, the autofill service acts as an intermediary between user input fields and stored credential databases or personal information repositories. When permission controls are inadequately implemented within this specific module, it creates a pathway for unauthorized entities to bypass intended security boundaries. The core technical issue involves the system failing to enforce strict separation of duties or role-based access control checks before executing queries against sensitive data stores associated with autofill capabilities. This allows an attacker who has gained some level of initial foothold in the application environment to escalate their privileges and interact directly with the autofill backend services without proper authentication or authorization verification.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-269, which classifies Improper Privilege Control, as well as CWE-862, Missing Authorization. The exploitation vector often involves manipulating API endpoints or internal service calls that are exposed to lower-privileged contexts than intended by the developers. For instance, an attacker might craft a specific request payload that targets the autofill data retrieval function while omitting required security tokens or altering session identifiers to impersonate a higher-privilege user account. Because the autofill module often has deep access to personal identifiable information such as addresses, phone numbers, and potentially saved passwords, this lack of enforcement allows for direct exfiltration of sensitive records that were not meant to be accessible via public-facing interfaces or lower-tier application layers. The absence of robust input validation regarding user identity within these specific service calls enables the bypassing of standard security protocols designed to protect data integrity and confidentiality.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, primarily centered on the compromise of service confidentiality as noted in the initial report. Successful exploitation can lead to the unauthorized disclosure of highly sensitive personal information stored by users for convenience during form filling operations. This includes not only contact details but potentially authentication credentials if they are cached or referenced within the autofill database structure. The breach of confidentiality undermines user trust and exposes organizations to significant regulatory compliance risks under frameworks such as GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA, depending on the nature of the data involved. Furthermore, this vulnerability can serve as a stepping stone for more advanced attacks; an attacker with access to autofill data may perform identity theft, account takeover attempts by leveraging retrieved credentials against other services where users have reused passwords, or social engineering campaigns using harvested personal details to craft convincing phishing messages. The attack pattern is consistent with ATT&CK technique T1078, Valid Accounts, specifically when used for lateral movement or persistence through the abuse of legitimate system functions and data access mechanisms.
To mitigate this vulnerability, developers must implement strict role-based access control checks at every entry point within the autofill service module. It is essential to ensure that any request accessing sensitive user data undergoes rigorous authentication and authorization validation before processing occurs. Security headers should be configured correctly to prevent cross-origin requests from unauthorized domains if applicable, and API endpoints should be scoped strictly according to the principle of least privilege. Regular security audits and penetration testing focused on access control logic are recommended to identify similar gaps in other modules. Additionally, implementing comprehensive logging and monitoring for anomalous access patterns related to autofill services can aid in early detection of exploitation attempts. By reinforcing these permission controls and ensuring that data retrieval operations are tightly coupled with verified user identities, organizations can effectively neutralize the risk associated with this privilege escalation flaw and maintain the confidentiality integrity of their users' personal information.