Actively exploited in the wild
Meta Platforms WhatsApp Incorrect Authorization Vulnerability
Meta Platforms - WhatsApp · Listed in the CISA KEV since 2025-09-02. This indicates confirmed attacks in production environments.
Required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
CVE-2025-55177
MediumCVSS 5.4KEVExploitation Probability (EPSS)
Very high risk92th percentile - higher than 92% of all known CVEs
Summary
Incomplete authorization of linked device synchronization messages in WhatsApp for iOS prior to v2.25.21.73, WhatsApp Business for iOS v2.25.21.78, and WhatsApp for Mac v2.25.21.78 could have allowed an unrelated user to trigger processing of content from an arbitrary URL on a target's device. This vulnerability, combined with an OS-level vulnerability on Apple platforms (CVE-2025-43300), may have been exploited in a sophisticated attack against specific targeted users.
Risk Assessment
The risk includes potential remote triggering of malicious content processing on the target's device, which could lead to privacy breach or further compromise.
Recommendation
Update WhatsApp to the latest versions and monitor security advisories from WhatsApp and Apple.
Other vulnerabilities in WhatsApp
See all- CVE-2019-3568CriticalActively exploited
A buffer overflow vulnerability in the WhatsApp VOIP stack allows remote code execution via specially crafted RTCP packets sent to a target phone number.
- CVE-2026-23866Medium
Incomplete validation of AI rich response messages for Instagram Reels in WhatsApp for iOS v2.25.8.0 to v2.26.15.72 and WhatsApp for Android v2.25.8.0 to v2.26.7.10 could allow a user to trigger processing of media content from an arbitrary URL on another user's device, including OS-controlled custom URL scheme handlers. No evidence of exploitation in the wild has been seen.
- CVE-2025-55179Medium
Incomplete validation of rich response messages in WhatsApp for iOS prior to v2.25.23.73, WhatsApp Business for iOS v2.25.23.82, and WhatsApp for Mac v2.25.23.83 could have allowed a user to trigger processing of media content from an arbitrary URL on another user's device. No evidence of exploitation in the wild has been observed.
Original NVD description (English source)
Incomplete authorization of linked device synchronization messages in WhatsApp for iOS prior to v2.25.21.73, WhatsApp Business for iOS v2.25.21.78, and WhatsApp for Mac v2.25.21.78 could have allowed an unrelated user to trigger processing of content from an arbitrary URL on a target’s device. We assess that this vulnerability, in combination with an OS-level vulnerability on Apple platforms (CVE-2025-43300), may have been exploited in a sophisticated attack against specific targeted users.
Vulnerability data from NVD (NIST) · CISA KEV · EPSS