CVE-2026-24930 in HarmonyOS
Summary
by MITRE • 02/06/2026
UAF concurrency vulnerability in the graphics module. Impact: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may affect availability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/09/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2026-24930 represents a use-after-free condition within the graphics module of a software system, specifically manifesting during concurrent operations. This type of vulnerability occurs when a program continues to reference memory that has already been freed or deallocated, creating a dangerous state where subsequent operations on that memory location can lead to unpredictable behavior. The graphics module in question likely handles rendering operations, memory management for graphical assets, or concurrent access to shared graphical resources, making it a critical component for system stability and security.
The technical flaw in this UAF vulnerability stems from improper synchronization mechanisms or race conditions within the graphics module's memory management routines. When multiple threads or processes attempt to access the same graphical resources simultaneously, the system may free memory associated with a graphics object while another operation is still referencing it. This concurrency issue typically arises from inadequate mutex locks, semaphore management, or improper reference counting mechanisms within the graphics subsystem. The vulnerability falls under CWE-416 which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for execution through graphics rendering components.
The operational impact of successfully exploiting this vulnerability extends beyond simple system instability, potentially leading to complete service disruption or availability compromise. An attacker who can manipulate the timing of concurrent operations to trigger the UAF condition may cause the graphics module to crash, resulting in denial of service for graphical applications or entire systems that depend on proper rendering capabilities. In more severe scenarios, the memory corruption could be leveraged to execute arbitrary code within the graphics processing context, particularly if the freed memory contains executable code or if the corruption affects memory layout in predictable ways. The availability impact is particularly concerning because graphics modules are often integral to user interfaces, rendering engines, and multimedia processing pipelines that are essential for system functionality.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2026-24930 should focus on strengthening the concurrency controls within the graphics module through proper synchronization primitives and memory management practices. Implementing robust mutex locking mechanisms, ensuring proper reference counting for graphical objects, and adding memory barriers to prevent race conditions are essential defensive measures. Regular code reviews should specifically target graphics module concurrency patterns and ensure that all shared resources are properly protected. Additionally, implementing memory safety checks such as address sanitizers, heap verification routines, and proper bounds checking can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. System administrators should also consider implementing monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous graphics module behavior or memory access patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, particularly in environments where graphics processing is heavily utilized.