WhatsApp has addressed a security vulnerability in its messaging apps for Apple iOS and macOS that it stated might have been exploited within the wild along side a not too long ago disclosed Apple flaw in focused zero-day assaults.
The vulnerability, CVE-2025-55177 (CVSS rating: 8.0), pertains to a case of inadequate authorization of linked system synchronization messages. Inner researchers on the WhatsApp Safety Workforce have been credited with discovering and rerating the bug.
The Meta-owned firm stated the problem “might have allowed an unrelated consumer to set off processing of content material from an arbitrary URL on a goal’s system.”
The flaw impacts the next variations –
- WhatsApp for iOS previous to model 2.25.21.73
- WhatsApp Enterprise for iOS model 2.25.21.78, and
- WhatsApp for Mac model 2.25.21.78
It additionally assessed that the shortcoming might have been chained with CVE-2025-43300, a vulnerability affecting iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, as a part of a classy assault towards particular focused customers.
CVE-2025-43300 was disclosed by Apple final week as having been weaponized in an “extraordinarily subtle assault towards particular focused people.”
The vulnerability in query is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability within the ImageIO framework that might lead to reminiscence corruption when processing a malicious picture.
Donncha Ó Cearbhaill, head of the Safety Lab at Amnesty Worldwide, stated WhatsApp has notified an unspecified variety of people that they consider had been focused by a complicated spyware and adware marketing campaign prior to now 90 days utilizing CVE-2025-55177.
Within the alert despatched to the focused people, WhatsApp has additionally really useful performing a full system manufacturing unit reset and maintaining their working system and the WhatsApp app up-to-date for optimum safety. It is presently not identified who, or which spyware and adware vendor, is behind the assaults.
Ó Cearbhaill described the pair of vulnerabilities as a “zero-click” assault, that means it doesn’t require any consumer interplay, reminiscent of clicking a hyperlink, to compromise their system.
“Early indications are that the WhatsApp assault is impacting each iPhone and Android customers, civil society people amongst them,” Ó Cearbhaill stated. “Authorities spyware and adware continues to pose a menace to journalists and human rights defenders.”
