CVE-2019-3568
Memory Safety in Whatsapp ≤ 2.18.15
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2019-3568 is a critical-severity Heap-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-122) vulnerability in Whatsapp Whatsapp. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Data Obfuscation (T1001); ranked in the top 2% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
A buffer overflow vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2019-3568 and assigned CWE-122 and CWE-787, exists in the WhatsApp VOIP stack. It affects WhatsApp for Android prior to version 2.19.134, WhatsApp Business for Android prior to 2.19.44, WhatsApp for iOS prior to 2.19.51, WhatsApp Business for iOS prior to 2.19.51, WhatsApp for Windows Phone prior to 2.18.348, and WhatsApp for Tizen prior to 2.18.15. The flaw permits remote code execution when a target processes a specially crafted series of RTCP packets.
An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit the issue by sending the malicious RTCP packets directly to a victim's phone number over the network. Successful exploitation grants the attacker the ability to execute arbitrary code on the device with no user interaction required, corresponding to the maximum CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8.
Facebook security advisories and the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog recommend immediate application of the listed patched versions to address the vulnerability. The presence of the CVE in the CISA catalog indicates confirmed real-world exploitation activity.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2019-13204
Vulnerability Data
A buffer overflow vulnerability in WhatsApp VOIP stack allowed remote code execution via specially crafted series of RTCP packets sent to a target phone number. The issue affects WhatsApp for Android prior to v2.19.134, WhatsApp Business for Android prior to…
more
v2.19.44, WhatsApp for iOS prior to v2.19.51, WhatsApp Business for iOS prior to v2.19.51, WhatsApp for Windows Phone prior to v2.18.348, and WhatsApp for Tizen prior to v2.18.15.
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 19 April 2022
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
—
—
—
V1.4.1
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Out-of-bounds writes that corrupt control flow or inject shellcode are rendered non-executable by the same memory protections.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover heap-overflow flaws but does not prevent their introduction in code.
Timely patching removes known heap-overflow instances after they exist.
Secure-development practices directly require bounds checking and safe memory handling that prevent heap overflows.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.