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WhatsappApplication

CVE-2020-1907

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-10-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.20.90 / 2.20.196.12 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 stack overflow in WhatsApp for Android prior to v2.20.196.16, WhatsApp Business for Android prior to v2.20.196.12, WhatsApp for iOS prior to v2.20.90, WhatsApp Business for iOS prior to v2.20.90, and WhatsApp for Portal prior to v173.0.0.29.505 could have allowed arbitrary code execution when parsing the contents of an RTP Extension header.

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 stack overflow vulnerability exists in WhatsApp's RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol) extension header parsing logic across Android, iOS, and Portal devices. The flaw allows an attacker to overwrite stack memory by providing specially crafted RTP extension header contents, potentially achieving arbitrary code execution with the application's privileges.

MitigationUpdate WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business, and WhatsApp for Portal to the specified minimum versions or later to obtain the vendor patch addressing this 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
WhatsappApplication
Affected:< 2.20.90< 2.20.196.16< 173.0.0.29.505
Whatsapp BusinessApplication
Affected:< 2.20.90< 2.20.196.12

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 version on Android
    Open device Settings > Apps > WhatsApp (or WhatsApp Business) and view the Version or App info section, or check the app's About/Info screen
    Affected if Version number is below 2.20.90, below 2.20.196.16, or below 173.0.0.29.505
  2. Identify installed WhatsApp version on iOS
    Open WhatsApp app > Settings > Help > App Info to display the version number
    Affected if Version number is below 2.20.90, below 2.20.196.16, or below 173.0.0.29.505
  3. Identify installed WhatsApp version on Portal devices
    On the Portal device, go to Settings > Apps > WhatsApp and check the version listed under App Info
    Affected if Version number is below 173.0.0.29.505
  4. Confirm if RTP-based calling is in use
    Check if WhatsApp voice or video calls are being made or received on the device, as the vulnerability exists in RTP extension header parsing
    Affected if Any WhatsApp voice/video calls are processed while the app version is below the fixed releases

A user is affected if they are running any WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business, or WhatsApp for Portal version below the minimum fixed releases (2.20.90, 2.20.196.16, 2.20.196.12, or 173.0.0.29.505 depending on platform and product).

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 2.20.90 / 2.20.196.12 / 2.20.196.16 or later
Fixed in 2.20.902.20.196.122.20.196.16
Interim mitigation

Update WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business, and WhatsApp for Portal to the specified minimum versions or later to obtain the vendor patch addressing this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

WhatsApp Android: v2.20.196.16+ | WhatsApp Business Android: v2.20.196.12+ | WhatsApp iOS: v2.20.90+ | WhatsApp Business iOS: v2.20.90+ | WhatsApp Portal: v173.0.0.29.505+

  1. Open the app store on your device (Google Play Store for Android, Apple App Store for iOS)
  2. Search for WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business
  3. Install the latest available version. For Android: ensure version is 2.20.196.16 or later for WhatsApp, 2.20.196.12 or later for WhatsApp Business. For iOS: ensure version is 2.20.90 or later. For Portal devices, ensure version is 173.0.0.29.505 or later
  4. Restart the application after update to ensure the fix is fully applied
  5. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release for your platform

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 / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,780
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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-2020-1907 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