WhatsApp zero-click vulnerability exploited in targeted attacks
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WhatsApp patched a zero-click vulnerability (CVE-2025-55177) in its iOS and macOS clients. The flaw allowed attackers to trigger content processing from arbitrary URLs on targeted devices. The vulnerability was exploited in combination with an OS-level flaw (CVE-2025-43300) on Apple platforms in sophisticated attacks against specific users. The flaw affects WhatsApp for iOS prior to version 2.25.21.73, WhatsApp Business for iOS v2.25.21.78, and WhatsApp for Mac v2.25.21.78. Users were advised to perform a device factory reset and update their operating systems and software. The vulnerability was patched on July 28, 2025, for WhatsApp for iOS and on August 4, 2025, for WhatsApp Business for iOS and WhatsApp for Mac. The attacks targeted less than 200 users, including civil society individuals, and are suspected to be part of an advanced spyware campaign.
Timeline
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29.08.2025 19:31 π° 2 articles Β· β± 18d ago
Zero-click vulnerability in WhatsApp exploited in targeted attacks
The vulnerability (CVE-2025-55177) is a case of insufficient authorization of linked device synchronization messages. The flaw was patched on July 28, 2025, for WhatsApp for iOS and on August 4, 2025, for WhatsApp Business for iOS and WhatsApp for Mac. The flaw was exploited in combination with CVE-2025-43300, an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the ImageIO framework. The attacks targeted less than 200 users, including civil society individuals, and are suspected to be part of an advanced spyware campaign.
Show sources
- WhatsApp patches vulnerability exploited in zero-day attacks β www.bleepingcomputer.com β 29.08.2025 19:31
- WhatsApp Patches Zero-Click Exploit Targeting iOS and macOS Devices β thehackernews.com β 30.08.2025 07:36
Information Snippets
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The vulnerability (CVE-2025-55177) affects WhatsApp for iOS prior to version 2.25.21.73, WhatsApp Business for iOS v2.25.21.78, and WhatsApp for Mac v2.25.21.78.
First reported: 29.08.2025 19:31π° 2 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- WhatsApp patches vulnerability exploited in zero-day attacks β www.bleepingcomputer.com β 29.08.2025 19:31
- WhatsApp Patches Zero-Click Exploit Targeting iOS and macOS Devices β thehackernews.com β 30.08.2025 07:36
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The flaw was exploited in combination with an OS-level vulnerability (CVE-2025-43300) on Apple platforms.
First reported: 29.08.2025 19:31π° 2 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- WhatsApp patches vulnerability exploited in zero-day attacks β www.bleepingcomputer.com β 29.08.2025 19:31
- WhatsApp Patches Zero-Click Exploit Targeting iOS and macOS Devices β thehackernews.com β 30.08.2025 07:36
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The attacks targeted specific users over the last 90 days.
First reported: 29.08.2025 19:31π° 2 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- WhatsApp patches vulnerability exploited in zero-day attacks β www.bleepingcomputer.com β 29.08.2025 19:31
- WhatsApp Patches Zero-Click Exploit Targeting iOS and macOS Devices β thehackernews.com β 30.08.2025 07:36
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Users were advised to perform a device factory reset and update their operating systems and software.
First reported: 29.08.2025 19:31π° 2 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- WhatsApp patches vulnerability exploited in zero-day attacks β www.bleepingcomputer.com β 29.08.2025 19:31
- WhatsApp Patches Zero-Click Exploit Targeting iOS and macOS Devices β thehackernews.com β 30.08.2025 07:36
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The vulnerability (CVE-2025-55177) is a case of insufficient authorization of linked device synchronization messages.
First reported: 30.08.2025 07:36π° 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- WhatsApp Patches Zero-Click Exploit Targeting iOS and macOS Devices β thehackernews.com β 30.08.2025 07:36
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The flaw affects WhatsApp for iOS prior to version 2.25.21.73, WhatsApp Business for iOS v2.25.21.78, and WhatsApp for Mac v2.25.21.78.
First reported: 30.08.2025 07:36π° 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- WhatsApp Patches Zero-Click Exploit Targeting iOS and macOS Devices β thehackernews.com β 30.08.2025 07:36
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The flaw was patched on July 28, 2025, for WhatsApp for iOS and on August 4, 2025, for WhatsApp Business for iOS and WhatsApp for Mac.
First reported: 30.08.2025 07:36π° 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- WhatsApp Patches Zero-Click Exploit Targeting iOS and macOS Devices β thehackernews.com β 30.08.2025 07:36
-
The flaw was exploited in combination with CVE-2025-43300, an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the ImageIO framework.
First reported: 30.08.2025 07:36π° 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- WhatsApp Patches Zero-Click Exploit Targeting iOS and macOS Devices β thehackernews.com β 30.08.2025 07:36
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The attacks targeted less than 200 users, including civil society individuals.
First reported: 30.08.2025 07:36π° 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- WhatsApp Patches Zero-Click Exploit Targeting iOS and macOS Devices β thehackernews.com β 30.08.2025 07:36
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The attacks are suspected to be part of an advanced spyware campaign, though the specific actor remains unknown.
First reported: 30.08.2025 07:36π° 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- WhatsApp Patches Zero-Click Exploit Targeting iOS and macOS Devices β thehackernews.com β 30.08.2025 07:36
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Fourth Spyware Campaign Targeting French Apple Users in 2025
Apple has notified French users of a fourth spyware campaign in 2025. The Computer Emergency Response Team of France (CERT-FR) confirmed the alerts on September 3, 2025. The campaign targets individuals based on their status or function, including journalists, lawyers, activists, politicians, and senior officials. The alerts are part of a series of notifications sent throughout the year, with previous alerts on March 5, April 29, and June 25. These alerts indicate that at least one device linked to the users' iCloud accounts may have been compromised in highly-targeted attacks. The campaign follows a previous incident involving a security flaw in WhatsApp (CVE-2025-55177) and an Apple iOS bug (CVE-2025-43300), which were used in zero-click attacks. Apple has been sending these notifications since November 2021. Apple introduced Memory Integrity Enforcement (MIE) in the latest iPhone models to combat memory corruption vulnerabilities.
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