A vulnerability has been discovered in WhatsApp that allowed iPhones and Macs to be hacked without any action from the user. The bug was actively used for espionage campaigns against journalists, activists, and employees of civil society organizations.
A vulnerability has been discovered in WhatsApp that allowed iPhones and Macs to be hacked without any action from the user. The bug was actively used for espionage campaigns against journalists, activists, and employees of civil society organizations.
As PCMag reports, the vulnerability is CVE-2025-55177, an authorization flaw that allowed forcibly downloading content from an arbitrary URL directly to a victim’s device. The exploit didn’t require opening the link or interacting with the message. According to Donncha O’Kerbil, head of the Security Lab at AmnestyTech, the attacks have been ongoing since late May and have targeted «civil society» activists.
WhatsApp has already closed the vulnerability and started sending warnings to users who may have been affected. The company emphasizes that the fact of fixing the error alone does not guarantee the security of devices, as spyware could remain on the phones. Vulnerable users are advised to perform a full factory reset of the device, update iOS/macOS, and install the latest version of the messenger.
What is particularly dangerous is that the attacks also used another Apple vulnerability, CVE-2025-43300, which the company previously disclosed. It is in the core image processing library, so it could potentially be exploited through other applications, not just WhatsApp.
Such incidents are not new: in June, a scandal erupted in Italy after an investigation indicated that Israeli spyware Paragon was possibly used to spy on journalists and activists via WhatsApp. Despite the government’s denials, government contracts with the company were terminated.
Recall that previously dev.ua also wrote about how WhatsApp introduced a new tool called Writing Help, which allows users to change the tone or rephrase messages using artificial intelligence.
