Pierluigi Paganini
April 08, 2025
WhatsApp released a security update to address a vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-30401, that could let attackers trick users and enable remote code execution.
The spoofing flaw impacts WhatsApp for Windows before version 2.2450.6. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a file with a fake MIME type, tricking users into thinking it’s safe (e.g., an image), while it runs malicious code.
“A spoofing issue in WhatsApp for Windows prior to version 2.2450.6 displayed attachments according to their MIME type but selected the file opening handler based on the attachment’s filename extension.” reads the advisory published by Meta. “A maliciously crafted mismatch could have caused the recipient to inadvertently execute arbitrary code rather than view the attachment when manually opening the attachment inside WhatsApp.”
Due to its popularity, WhatsApp presents an appealing opportunity for threat actors, both financially and politically motivated. Security flaws in the platform have previously been leveraged in real incidents, allowing attackers to infiltrate systems, harvest confidential details, or deploy harmful software. Its popularity and the trust users place in it make it a frequent focus of cyber offensives.
A zero-day vulnerability in WhatsApp can fetch millions of dollars on underground markets. Its value stems from WhatsApp’s massive user base and the potential for covert access to private chats, media, and device-level control.
In March 2025, WhatsApp addressed a zero-click, zero-day vulnerability exploited to install Paragon’s Graphite spyware on the devices of targeted individuals.
WhatsApp blocked a spyware campaign by Paragon targeting journalists and civil society members after reports of the Citizen Lab group from the University of Toronto. The company confirmed that the issue was fixed in December 2024 without a client-side update, and no CVE-ID was assigned.
In February, Meta announced that it had discovered and dismantled a malware campaign via WhatsApp that targeted journalists and civil society members with the Paragon spyware (aka Graphite).
The hacking campaign targeted 90 users and was disrupted in December, WhatsApp immediately alerted targeted users of a possible compromise of their devices.
The Meta-owned company linked the hacking campaign to Paragon, an Israeli commercial surveillance vendor acquired by AE Industrial Partners for $900 million in December 2024.
Meta experts said threat actors used a “zero-click” exploit to compromise target devices without user interaction. WhatsApp did not disclose the locations of the targeted individuals.
WhatsApp sent Paragon a “cease and desist” letter and announced it was exploring the possibility to start a legal action.
There are no official reports about the spyware campaign, but media reports that threat actors may have used a specially crafted PDF file as bait. The file was sent to target users after they were added to group chats. John Scott-Railton of the research group Citizen Lab said they first analyzed the attacks and shared findings with WhatsApp.
Citizen Lab mapped Paragon Solutions’ spyware infrastructure, identifying its tool “Graphite” through digital fingerprints and certificates. Researchers linked Paragon to several IP addresses hosted at local telecoms, suggesting they belong to government customers. A misconfigured digital certificate further confirmed the connection, strengthening the evidence of Paragon’s global spyware operations.
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