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WhatsappApplication

CVE-2020-1891

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-09-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.20.7 / 2.20.17 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 user controlled parameter used in video call in WhatsApp for Android prior to v2.20.17, WhatsApp Business for Android prior to v2.20.7, WhatsApp for iPhone prior to v2.20.20, and WhatsApp Business for iPhone prior to v2.20.20 could have allowed an out-of-bounds write on 32-bit devices.

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

A user-controlled parameter in the video call functionality of WhatsApp (Android prior to v2.20.17, iPhone prior to v2.20.20, and Business variants) allows an out-of-bounds memory write vulnerability specifically on 32-bit devices. This memory corruption issue could potentially allow remote code execution by a malicious caller during a video call.

MitigationUpdate WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business to the latest versions (v2.20.17+ for Android, v2.20.20+ for iPhone) on all affected devices. Organizations should identify and remediate 32-bit Android devices still running vulnerable versions.

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:< 2.20.17< 2.20.20
Whatsapp BusinessApplication
Affected:< 2.20.7< 2.20.20

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 device architecture
    Check if the Android device is running a 32-bit OS. On the device, go to Settings > About Phone > CPU Architecture or use ADB command: 'adb shell getprop ro.product.cpu.abi' to see the supported ABIs (look for 'armeabi-v7a' for 32-bit, 'arm64-v8a' for 64-bit).
    Affected if The device is a 32-bit Android device (armeabi-v7a ABI) running WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business.
  2. Check WhatsApp version on Android
    Open WhatsApp, tap the three-dot menu > Settings > Help > About. Note the version number shown under 'Version'.
    Affected if The installed version is below 2.20.17 on a 32-bit Android device.
  3. Check WhatsApp version on iPhone
    Open WhatsApp, go to Settings > Help > About. Note the version number.
    Affected if The installed version is below 2.20.20 on any iPhone (the vulnerability specifically affects 32-bit devices but version check applies universally for iOS).
  4. Check WhatsApp Business version on Android
    Open WhatsApp Business, tap the three-dot menu > Settings > Help > About. Note the version number.
    Affected if The installed version is below 2.20.7 (Android) on a 32-bit device.
  5. Check WhatsApp Business version on iPhone
    Open WhatsApp Business, go to Settings > Help > About. Note the version number.
    Affected if The installed version is below 2.20.20 on any iPhone.

A user is affected if they are running WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business on a 32-bit Android device with a version lower than 2.20.17 (WhatsApp) or 2.20.7 (Business), or on any iPhone with a version lower than 2.20.20.

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 2.20.7 / 2.20.17 / 2.20.20 or later
Fixed in 2.20.72.20.172.20.20
Interim mitigation

Update WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business to the latest versions (v2.20.17+ for Android, v2.20.20+ for iPhone) on all affected devices. Organizations should identify and remediate 32-bit Android devices still running vulnerable versions.

Recommended fix High confidence

WhatsApp for Android v2.20.20, WhatsApp Business for Android v2.20.20, WhatsApp for iPhone v2.20.20, WhatsApp Business for iPhone v2.20.20

  1. Open Google Play Store (Android) or App Store (iPhone)
  2. Search for WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business
  3. Update the application to the latest version (2.20.20 or later)
  4. Confirm the update has completed successfully
  5. Restart the application to ensure the patch is fully applied
Caveat Standard app update with no expected breaking changes; user data and settings are preserved

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
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

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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-2020-1891 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