CVE-2024-42038

Local device-security impact via PIN enhancement failure

Published Aug 8, 2024 · Updated Sep 18, 2025

Improper authentication in Huawei HarmonyOS and EMUI screen locks allows local users to cause unspecified impacts via a PIN failure. Huawei identifies a PIN enhancement failure in the screen-lock module but has not published the faulty operation or the input that triggers it. Low-privileged local access without user interaction is required; affected versions are HarmonyOS 3.0.0, 4.0.0, and 4.2.0 and EMUI 13.0.0 and 14.0.0, with unspecified confidentiality, integrity, and availability consequences.

CVSS severity8.8
High
EPSS probability0.11%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper authentication in Huawei HarmonyOS and EMUI screen locks allows local users to cause unspecified impacts via a PIN failure. Huawei identifies a PIN enhancement failure in the screen-lock module but has not published the faulty operation or the input that triggers it. Low-privileged local access without user interaction is required; affected versions are HarmonyOS 3.0.0, 4.0.0, and 4.2.0 and EMUI 13.0.0 and 14.0.0, with unspecified confidentiality, integrity, and availability consequences.

The record

CVE
CVE-2024-42038
Published
Aug 8, 2024
Updated
Sep 18, 2025
Vendor
MindSpore
Product
HarmonyOS
Classifications
CWE-287
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 8, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 18, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=3.0.0
  2. Affected versionversion=4.0.0
  3. Affected versionversion=4.2.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

MindSpore · HarmonyOSversion=3.0.0; version=4.0.0; version=4.2.0
MindSpore · EMUIversion=13.0.0; version=14.0.0

Published CVSS scores

8.8Huawei TechnologiesCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
7.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-287Improper Authentication

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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