CVE-2025-55179 is an authorization vulnerability classified under CWE-863, found in WhatsApp Business for iOS and related WhatsApp clients. The root cause is incomplete validation of rich response messages, which are structured messages that can include media content such as images or videos. Specifically, the vulnerability allows an attacker with limited privileges (PR:L) and network access (AV:N) to cause the victim’s device to process media content from an arbitrary URL controlled by the attacker. This occurs because the application does not properly verify whether the media content URLs in rich responses are authorized or safe before processing them. The flaw does not require user interaction (UI:N), increasing the risk of automated exploitation. The impact includes potential confidentiality and integrity breaches, as malicious media could be fetched and processed without proper authorization, potentially exposing sensitive information or altering application behavior. The vulnerability affects WhatsApp for iOS versions prior to 2.25.23.73, WhatsApp Business for iOS v2.25.23.82, and WhatsApp for Mac v2.25.23.83. No public exploits or in-the-wild attacks have been reported, but the flaw is rated medium severity with a CVSS 3.1 score of 5.4. The vulnerability was reserved in August 2025 and published in November 2025, indicating recent discovery and disclosure. Due to the widespread use of WhatsApp Business in enterprise communications, this vulnerability could be leveraged in targeted attacks against organizations relying on these platforms for customer engagement and internal communications.

For European organizations, the vulnerability poses a moderate risk primarily to confidentiality and integrity of communications conducted via WhatsApp Business for iOS. Attackers could exploit this flaw to cause victim devices to fetch and process malicious media content, potentially leading to unauthorized data exposure or manipulation of message content. This could undermine trust in business communications, expose sensitive customer or corporate information, and facilitate further attacks such as phishing or malware delivery. The lack of required user interaction lowers the barrier for exploitation, especially in environments where devices are connected to untrusted networks. Organizations relying heavily on WhatsApp Business for customer interactions, especially in regulated sectors like finance, healthcare, and legal services, may face compliance and reputational risks if exploited. However, the absence of known active exploitation reduces immediate urgency but does not eliminate the threat. The impact on availability is minimal, as the vulnerability does not directly cause denial of service. Overall, the threat could disrupt secure communications and data integrity within European enterprises using affected WhatsApp versions.

European organizations should immediately verify the versions of WhatsApp Business for iOS and related WhatsApp clients deployed on corporate and employee devices. Although no official patch links are provided yet, organizations should monitor Meta’s updates and apply the latest versions (2.25.23.73 or later for WhatsApp for iOS, 2.25.23.82 or later for WhatsApp Business for iOS, and 2.25.23.83 or later for WhatsApp for Mac) as soon as they become available. In the interim, organizations can implement network-level controls such as restricting access to untrusted URLs and domains via web filtering or proxy solutions to limit the ability of the app to fetch arbitrary media content. Endpoint protection solutions should be configured to detect and block suspicious network activity originating from WhatsApp processes. User awareness campaigns should inform employees about the risks of unsolicited or unexpected rich media messages, even though user interaction is not required for exploitation. Additionally, organizations should audit and restrict the use of WhatsApp Business on devices handling sensitive data, considering alternative secure communication platforms if necessary. Regular monitoring of network traffic and device logs for anomalous media fetches can help detect potential exploitation attempts early.