Race condition in Meta WhatsApp Desktop for Mac
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Low · Low · Low
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
A race condition in a network transport subsystem led to a heap use-after-free issue in established or unsilenced incoming audio/video calls that could have resulted in app termination or unexpected control flow with very low probability.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meta | WhatsApp Desktop for Mac | before 2.2338.12 | 2.2338.12 | Patch available | CNA |
| Meta | WhatsApp Desktop for Windows | before 2.2320.2 | 2.2320.2 | Patch available | CNA |
| Meta | WhatsApp Business for iOS | before 2.23.10.77 | 2.23.10.77 | Patch available | CNA |
| Meta | WhatsApp for iOS | before 2.23.10.77 | 2.23.10.77 | Patch available | CNA |
| Meta | WhatsApp Business for Android | before 2.23.10.77 | 2.23.10.77 | Patch available | CNA |
| Meta | WhatsApp for Android | before 2.23.10.77 | 2.23.10.77 | Patch available | CNA |
- WhatsApp Desktop for Mac VendorMeta Affected before 2.2338.12 Fixed in 2.2338.12 Patch available CNA
- WhatsApp Desktop for Windows VendorMeta Affected before 2.2320.2 Fixed in 2.2320.2 Patch available CNA
- WhatsApp Business for iOS VendorMeta Affected before 2.23.10.77 Fixed in 2.23.10.77 Patch available CNA
- WhatsApp for iOS VendorMeta Affected before 2.23.10.77 Fixed in 2.23.10.77 Patch available CNA
- WhatsApp Business for Android VendorMeta Affected before 2.23.10.77 Fixed in 2.23.10.77 Patch available CNA
- WhatsApp for Android VendorMeta Affected before 2.23.10.77 Fixed in 2.23.10.77 Patch available CNA
Remediation
- Fix · CNA WhatsApp Desktop for Mac (Facebook) Fixed in 2.2338.12
- Fix · CNA WhatsApp Desktop for Windows (Facebook) Fixed in 2.2320.2
- Fix · CNA WhatsApp Business for iOS (Facebook) Fixed in 2.23.10.77
- Fix · CNA WhatsApp for iOS (Facebook) Fixed in 2.23.10.77
- Fix · CNA WhatsApp Business for Android (Facebook) Fixed in 2.23.10.77
- Fix · CNA WhatsApp for Android (Facebook) Fixed in 2.23.10.77
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Release ·
Facebook WhatsApp Business for Android, WhatsApp Business for iOS and 4 more products 2.23.10.77, 2.2320.2, 2.2338.12
2 records Highest priority Priority LOW 2 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2023-19918 Race condition in Meta WhatsApp Desktop for MacPriority LOW 22
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2023-38537
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-5crw-452c-5358
References
More Meta vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-34861 Deserialization of untrusted data in Meta react-server-dom-webpack KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 10.0
- TI-2019-02633 Heap-based buffer overflow in Meta WhatsApp for Android KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2019-13416 Cross-site scripting in Meta WhatsApp Desktop KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.2
- TI-2023-23979 The HTTP/2 protocol allows a denial of service (server resource consumption) because… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2025-34857 Incorrect authorization in Meta WhatsApp Desktop for Mac KEVCVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.4
- TI-2025-34863 Deserialization of untrusted data in Meta react-server-dom-webpack CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
Sources
- CVE-2023-38537 · CVE Program
- CVE-2023-38537 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-5crw-452c-5358 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences