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WhatsappApplication

CVE-2019-3571

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-07-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 0.3.3793 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
An input validation issue affected WhatsApp Desktop versions prior to 0.3.3793 which allows malicious clients to send files to users that would be displayed with a wrong extension.

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

WhatsApp Desktop versions prior to 0.3.3793 contain an input validation flaw that allows a malicious server or client to send files to users with an incorrect file extension display. This could trick users into opening potentially malicious files they believe to be safe (e.g., opening what appears to be a .txt file that is actually an executable).

MitigationUsers must update WhatsApp Desktop to version 0.3.3793 or later. Organizations should verify that all installed instances meet the minimum version requirement.

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:< 0.3.3793

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
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

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. Check if WhatsApp Desktop is installed
    On Windows, look in %ProgramFiles%\WhatsApp or %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\WhatsApp Desktop. On Mac, check /Applications/WhatsApp Desktop.app
    Affected if WhatsApp Desktop is present on the system
  2. Locate the WhatsApp Desktop executable
    Navigate to the installation directory and find WhatsApp.exe (Windows) or the app bundle (Mac)
    Affected if The executable exists at the expected location
  3. Determine the installed version number
    Right-click the executable, select Properties, and view the Details tab for the File Version. On Mac, right-click the app, select Get Info, and view the Version field
    Affected if A version number is displayed in the file properties
  4. Compare version against affected range
    Compare the displayed version to 0.3.3793 - any version below 0.3.3793 is affected
    Affected if The version number is lower than 0.3.3793 (for example: 0.3.3780, 0.3.3700, etc.)

If WhatsApp Desktop is installed and the displayed version is below 0.3.3793, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 0.3.3793 or later
Fixed in 0.3.3793
Interim mitigation

Users must update WhatsApp Desktop to version 0.3.3793 or later. Organizations should verify that all installed instances meet the minimum version requirement.

Fix this in Whatsapp Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
3.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2019-3571 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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