Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:NSummary
CVE-2025-55177 is a medium-severity Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863) vulnerability in Whatsapp Whatsapp. Its CVSS base score is 5.4 (Medium).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked in the top 10% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-24 (Access Control Decisions) and AC-25 (Reference Monitor) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2025-55177 is an incomplete authorization vulnerability (CWE-863) in the handling of linked device synchronization messages within WhatsApp for iOS versions prior to v2.25.21.73, WhatsApp Business for iOS prior to v2.25.21.78, and WhatsApp for Mac prior to v2.25.21.78. This flaw enables an unrelated user to trigger the processing of content from an arbitrary URL on a target's device. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N), indicating medium severity with network accessibility, low attack complexity, and requirements for low privileges.
An attacker with low privileges, such as an unrelated WhatsApp user, can exploit this issue over the network without user interaction to force the target's device to process malicious content from a remote URL. While standalone exploitation yields limited confidentiality and integrity impacts, the vulnerability's description notes that, when chained with an Apple OS-level flaw (CVE-2025-43300), it may enable sophisticated attacks targeting specific users.
Advisories from Meta's Facebook security page (https://www.facebook.com/security/advisories/cve-2025-55177), WhatsApp's 2025 security advisories (https://www.whatsapp.com/security/advisories/2025/), and CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2025-55177) recommend updating to the patched versions (WhatsApp for iOS v2.25.21.73 or later, WhatsApp Business for iOS v2.25.21.78 or later, and WhatsApp for Mac v2.25.21.78 or later) as the primary mitigation.
This issue has been added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, signaling active exploitation concerns, particularly in targeted attacks when combined with CVE-2025-43300.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-26214
Vulnerability Data
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…
more
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.
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 02 September 2025
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
—
—
- 5 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
—
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
AC-3 directly requires correct enforcement of authorization decisions on every access request, structurally preventing incorrect checks.
AC-24 ensures access-control decisions are made and applied consistently, reducing the chance of an incorrect authorization result.
A reference monitor that is always invoked and tamper-proof forces every authorization decision through a verified, correct path.
Least-privilege assignments shrink the set of authorizations that must be checked correctly, limiting exposure to flawed checks.
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.
Defining, enforcing, and reviewing access authorizations and least privilege directly prevents incorrect authorization checks.
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.
Requiring consistency between access rights and classification plus formal approval steps ensures that the authorization logic correctly distinguishes between entities that should and should not be granted access.
Enforcing policy-driven approval and role-change reviews stops incorrect or stale authorization decisions from remaining in effect after job changes or terminations.
By tying access rights to identity, device, location and classification, the control reduces the likelihood that an authorization decision will be based on an incorrect or bypassed policy.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
Oracle Linux 8 (2 rules)
- V-248581 OL 8 must require users to provide a password for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-863
- V-252656 The OL 8 operating system must not be configured to bypass password requirements for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-863
RHEL 7 (1 rule)
- V-204430 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must be configured so that users must re-authenticate for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-863
RHEL 8 (1 rule)
- V-251712 The RHEL 8 operating system must not be configured to bypass password requirements for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-863