CVE Intelligence
CISA KEV Medium Access control

CVE-2025-55177 — Meta Platforms WhatsApp Incorrect Authorization Vulnerability

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.

Published Aug 29, 2025 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · Sources: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP, GitHub Security Advisories · CNA: facebook

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

CISA KEV · Sep 2, 2025 Proofs of concept on GitHub · 1
How the score was calculated
  • Confirmed exploitation (CISA KEV)+35
  • Public exploit/PoC (github)+6
  • EPSS 4.7% (30-day exploitation probability)+14
  • Technical severity (medium)+3

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Confirmed
CISA KEV, listed Sep 2, 2025
EPSS FIRST
4.73%
ahead of 92% of scored CVEs · Oct 14, 2026
Affects
Facebook
WhatsApp Business for iOS and 4 more
CVSS base
5.4
Medium · 3 source(s)
Prioritization reference: 8.0 provisional

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation
Active
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
No
can an attacker script the kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Total
partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

CISA required action CISA

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

US federal deadline: Sep 23, 2025 — passed 387 day(s) ago

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Facebook WhatsApp Business for iOS, Facebook WhatsApp Desktop for Mac, Facebook WhatsApp for iOS…).
  2. Treat as emergency remediation: the CVE is in CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
  3. No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
  4. EPSS ahead of 92% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
  5. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (access control), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Facebook WhatsApp Business for iOS ≥ 2.22.25.2 and < 2.25.21.78 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Facebook WhatsApp Desktop for Mac ≥ 2.22.25.2 and < 2.25.21.78 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Facebook WhatsApp for iOS ≥ 2.22.25.2 and < 2.25.21.73 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Whatsapp Whatsapp ≥ 2.22.25.2 and < 2.25.21.73≥ 2.22.25.2 and < 2.25.21.78 Vulnerable NIST National Vulnerability Database
Whatsapp Whatsapp Business ≥ 2.22.25.2 and < 2.25.21.78 Vulnerable NIST National Vulnerability Database

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
8.0 CVSS 3.1 High — — GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories
5.4 CVSS 3.1 Medium 2.8 2.5 cve-assign@fb.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
5.4 CVSS 3.1 Medium — — facebook via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N (score shown at the top: cve-assign@fb.com)
Sources disagree significantly and the divergence is under review. Every score is kept with its origin. For prioritization we use 8.0 (GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories) as a conservative provisional reference — not a definitive official score.

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-863 · Incorrect Authorization

Other CVEs with this weakness →

CISA KEV details CISA

CISA lists a CVE once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.

Listed
Sep 2, 2025
Federal deadline
Sep 23, 2025
passed 387 day(s) ago
Ransomware use
Unknown

CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a reference date.

Public exploits, PoCs and detection templates

Public code that demonstrates or tests the flaw raises the odds of mass exploitation — and Nuclei templates help find vulnerable assets in your environment.

Proofs of concept on GitHub

Warning: public PoCs are sometimes disguised malware. Use them only for authorized testing in an isolated environment. This portal does not host exploit code — it only points to the sources.

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 12, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 4.73%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
  • Audit administrative actions and access to resources outside each user’s normal pattern.
  • Hunt retroactively in logs from before Sep 2, 2025 (KEV listing): exploitation may have started earlier.
web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPSauthentication logsapplication logs

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Affected products added · facebook/whatsapp desktop for mac, facebook/whatsapp business for ios, facebook/whatsapp for ios
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • SSVC assessment updated
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 13, 2026
  • Affected products added · whatsapp/whatsapp, whatsapp/whatsapp business
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVSS changed · 5.4
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Analyzed
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Added to CISA KEV (detected)
    Oct 13, 2026 · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 13, 2026 · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
  • 2025
  • Added to CISA KEV catalog
    Sep 1, 2025 · CISA
  • CVE published
    Aug 29, 2025 · facebook

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 2× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

6 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Facebook
every CVE for this vendor
2025-09
what else CISA listed that month
Access control
same class
CWE-863
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-23863 An attachment spoofing issue in WhatsApp for Windows prior to v2.3000.1032164386.258709… May 1, 2026
  • CVE-2026-23866 Incomplete validation of AI rich response messages for Instagram Reels in WhatsApp for… May 1, 2026
  • CVE-2025-55179 Incomplete validation of rich response messages in WhatsApp for iOS prior to… Nov 18, 2025
  • CVE-2019-18426 WhatsApp Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability KEV Jan 21, 2020
  • CVE-2019-3568 WhatsApp VOIP Stack Buffer Overflow Vulnerability KEV May 14, 2019

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2025-55177 is "Meta Platforms WhatsApp Incorrect Authorization Vulnerability", rated Medium. It affects WhatsApp Business for iOS (Facebook); versions are in the scope table. It is in CISA KEV: there is evidence of real-world exploitation. CVSS 5.4 describes technical severity. EPSS 4.73% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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