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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 23 Sep 2025.
WhatsappApplication

CVE-2025-55177

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.25.21.73 / 2.25.21.78 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Remotely reachable 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
Incomplete authorization of linked device synchronization messages in WhatsApp for iOS prior to v2.25.21.73, WhatsApp Business for iOS v2.25.21.78, and WhatsApp for Mac v2.25.21.78 could have allowed an unrelated user to trigger processing of content from an arbitrary URL on a target’s device. We assess that this vulnerability, in combination with an OS-level vulnerability on Apple platforms (CVE-2025-43300), may have been exploited in a sophisticated attack against specific targeted users.

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 · moderate confidence

This is an incomplete authorization vulnerability in WhatsApp's linked device synchronization feature. An attacker who is not properly authorized could send specially crafted synchronization messages that cause the target's WhatsApp client to process content from an arbitrary URL. When combined with CVE-2025-43300 (an Apple OS-level vulnerability), this could enable remote code execution on targeted devices.

MitigationUpdate WhatsApp for iOS to v2.25.21.73 or later, WhatsApp Business for iOS to v2.25.21.78 or later, and WhatsApp for Mac to v2.25.21.78 or later. Given the active exploitation in targeted attacks, prioritize updates for high-risk users.

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:>= 2.22.25.2, < 2.25.21.73>= 2.22.25.2, < 2.25.21.78
Whatsapp BusinessApplication
Affected:>= 2.22.25.2, < 2.25.21.78

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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. Identify WhatsApp product and platform
    Open WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business, go to Settings > Help > About to view the product name (WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business) and the installed version number
    Affected if Using WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business on iOS or Mac platforms
  2. Check iOS WhatsApp version
    On iOS, open WhatsApp, tap Settings > Help > About. Compare the version number (e.g., 2.25.21.70) against the affected range: >= 2.22.25.2 and < 2.25.21.73
    Affected if Running WhatsApp for iOS with version 2.22.25.2 through 2.25.21.72
  3. Check iOS WhatsApp Business version
    On iOS, open WhatsApp Business, tap Settings > Help > About. Compare the version number against the affected range: >= 2.22.25.2 and < 2.25.21.78
    Affected if Running WhatsApp Business for iOS with version 2.22.25.2 through 2.25.21.77
  4. Check Mac WhatsApp version
    On Mac, open WhatsApp, go to WhatsApp > Settings > Help > About. Compare the version number against the affected range: >= 2.22.25.2 and < 2.25.21.78
    Affected if Running WhatsApp for Mac with version 2.22.25.2 through 2.25.21.77
  5. Verify linked device feature status
    Open WhatsApp Settings > Linked Devices. Check if any secondary devices are linked or if the feature has been actively used
    Affected if Linked device synchronization feature is enabled or has linked devices configured

You are affected if you are running a vulnerable version (2.22.25.2 through 2.25.21.72 for WhatsApp iOS, or 2.22.25.2 through 2.25.21.77 for other affected platforms) AND the linked device synchronization feature is enabled or has been used on your account

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 2.25.21.73 / 2.25.21.78 or later
Fixed in 2.25.21.732.25.21.78
Interim mitigation

Update WhatsApp for iOS to v2.25.21.73 or later, WhatsApp Business for iOS to v2.25.21.78 or later, and WhatsApp for Mac to v2.25.21.78 or later. Given the active exploitation in targeted attacks, prioritize updates for high-risk users.

Recommended fix High confidence

WhatsApp for iOS: 2.25.21.73 or later; WhatsApp Business for iOS: 2.25.21.78 or later; WhatsApp for Mac: 2.25.21.78 or later

  1. Open the App Store (iOS/macOS) or visit the official WhatsApp website
  2. Search for "WhatsApp" or "WhatsApp Business" depending on your application
  3. Check your current version in the app settings (Settings > Help > App Info)
  4. If your version is affected (WhatsApp: < 2.25.21.73, WhatsApp Business: < 2.25.21.78), update the app
  5. For WhatsApp for Mac users, update to version 2.25.21.78 or later
  6. After updating, verify the new version in app settings

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

Fix this in Whatsapp Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.

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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-2025-55177 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