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Whatsapp DesktopApplication · Whatsapp

CVE-2020-1889

CRITICAL · 10.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-09-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 0.3.4932 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
A security feature bypass issue in WhatsApp Desktop versions prior to v0.3.4932 could have allowed for sandbox escape in Electron and escalation of privilege if combined with a remote code execution vulnerability inside the sandboxed renderer process.

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 v0.3.4932 contain a security feature bypass that enables an Electron sandbox escape. When chained with a separate remote code execution vulnerability in the sandboxed renderer process, this allows an attacker to escalate privileges and execute code outside the sandboxed environment.

MitigationUpdate WhatsApp Desktop to version v0.3.4932 or later to remediate the sandbox escape vulnerability.

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
Whatsapp DesktopApplication
Affected:< 0.3.4932

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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/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. Locate WhatsApp Desktop installation
    Check for WhatsApp Desktop executable at typical installation paths: %LOCALAPPDATA%\WhatsApp\WhatsApp.exe or C:\Program Files\WhatsApp\WhatsApp.exe. On macOS, check /Applications/WhatsApp.app.
    Affected if WhatsApp Desktop is not found at any installation path (not vulnerable if not installed).
  2. Retrieve installed version number
    Right-click WhatsApp.exe, select Properties, then Details tab to view File Version. Alternatively, run 'Get-ItemProperty -Path "%LOCALAPPDATA%\WhatsApp\WhatsApp.exe" | Select-Object VersionInfo' in PowerShell on Windows.
    Affected if Cannot determine version (may indicate custom or corrupted installation).
  3. Compare version against vulnerability threshold
    Compare the installed version to 0.3.4932. Versions are typically displayed as four octets (e.g., 0.3.4912). Extract the full version string and compare numerically or lexicographically.
    Affected if Installed version is less than 0.3.4932 (e.g., 0.3.4912, 0.3.4900, etc.).
  4. Verify Electron framework is in use
    Check if the WhatsApp Desktop installation contains Electron-related files: look for resources/app or resources/electron.asar within the installation directory, or check for electron.exe process when running.
    Affected if Electron framework files are present and version is below 0.3.4932.

User is affected if WhatsApp Desktop is installed with a version lower than 0.3.4932 and uses the Electron framework, enabling the sandbox escape when chained with a separate renderer RCE.

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 0.3.4932 or later
Fixed in 0.3.4932
Interim mitigation

Update WhatsApp Desktop to version v0.3.4932 or later to remediate the sandbox escape vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

WhatsApp Desktop v0.3.4932 or later

  1. 1. Close WhatsApp Desktop if it's currently running
  2. 2. Download the latest version of WhatsApp Desktop from the official website (www.whatsapp.com)
  3. 3. Install the updated version (v0.3.4932 or later)
  4. 4. Launch WhatsApp Desktop and verify the version number matches or exceeds v0.3.4932

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

Fix this in Whatsapp Desktop Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

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-2020-1889 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