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WhatsappApplication

CVE-2018-6349

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-06-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.18.132 / 2.18.248 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
When receiving calls using WhatsApp for Android, a missing size check when parsing a sender-provided packet allowed for a stack-based overflow. This issue affects WhatsApp for Android prior to 2.18.248 and WhatsApp Business for Android prior to 2.18.132.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Missing size check in WhatsApp's call handling code allows an attacker to send a specially crafted packet with excessive data during a call setup, overflowing a fixed-size stack buffer. This stack-based overflow can potentially allow remote code execution on the target device.

MitigationUpdate WhatsApp for Android to version 2.18.248 or later, and WhatsApp Business for Android to version 2.18.132 or later. Apply via enterprise mobile device management or app store updates.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
WhatsappApplication
Affected:< 2.18.248
Whatsapp BusinessApplication
Affected:< 2.18.132

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed WhatsApp applications
    Check the device for installed WhatsApp apps: go to Settings > Apps and look for 'WhatsApp' and 'WhatsApp Business'. Alternatively, run 'adb shell pm list packages | grep whatsapp' to list installed WhatsApp packages.
    Affected if Either WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business is installed on the device.
  2. Get WhatsApp version number
    In Settings > Apps > WhatsApp, scroll to the 'Version' field which displays the installed version. Alternatively, run 'adb shell dumpsys package com.whitelabel.whatsapp | grep versionName' to retrieve the version programmatically.
    Affected if The displayed version is less than 2.18.248.
  3. Get WhatsApp Business version number
    In Settings > Apps > WhatsApp Business, scroll to the 'Version' field. Alternatively, run 'adb shell dumpsys package com.whatsapp.business | grep versionName' to retrieve the version.
    Affected if The displayed version is less than 2.18.132.
  4. Confirm call feature is in use
    This vulnerability triggers during call setup. Verify that voice or video calling functionality exists in the installed WhatsApp version. The flaw is triggered when an incoming or outgoing call is attempted with a specially crafted packet.
    Affected if The app supports voice or video calls and is running a version below the patched releases.

The environment is affected if WhatsApp for Android is installed at a version lower than 2.18.248, or WhatsApp Business for Android is installed at a version lower than 2.18.132, and the call feature is available.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.18.132 / 2.18.248 or later
Fixed in 2.18.1322.18.248
Interim mitigation

Update WhatsApp for Android to version 2.18.248 or later, and WhatsApp Business for Android to version 2.18.132 or later. Apply via enterprise mobile device management or app store updates.

Recommended fix High confidence

WhatsApp for Android: 2.18.248 or later | WhatsApp Business for Android: 2.18.132 or later

  1. Open Google Play Store on your Android device
  2. Search for 'WhatsApp' or 'WhatsApp Business' depending on which application is affected
  3. Tap on the app and select 'Update' to install the latest version
  4. Verify the installed version meets the minimum security version (WhatsApp: 2.18.248+, WhatsApp Business: 2.18.132+)
  5. Alternatively, uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp from Google Play Store to ensure you have the latest version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Whatsapp Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-6349 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data