How severe is CVE-2017-8769?

CVE-2017-8769 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.6, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.

Is CVE-2017-8769 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (11th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2017-8769?

CVE-2017-8769 affects Whatsapp. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2017-8769?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2017-8769 published?

CVE-2017-8769 was published on 2017-05-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2017-8769

CVE-2017-8769 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Whatsapp with a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.6. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-311.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 4.6)
CVSS v2: 2.1
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (11th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-311
Affected product: Whatsapp
Published: 2017-05-18
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Facebook WhatsApp Messenger before 2.16.323 for Android uses the SD card for cleartext storage of files (Audio, Documents, Images, Video, and Voice Notes) associated with a chat, even after that chat is deleted. There may be users who expect file deletion to occur upon chat deletion, or who expect encryption (consistent with the application's use of an encrypted database to store chat text). NOTE: the vendor reportedly indicates that they do not "consider these to be security issues" because a user may legitimately want to preserve any file for use "in other apps like the Google Photos gallery" regardless of whether its associated chat is deleted

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-8769?: Facebook WhatsApp Messenger before 2.16.323 for Android uses the SD card for cleartext storage of files (Audio, Documents, Images, Video, and Voice Notes) associated with a chat, even after that chat is deleted. There may be users who expect file deletion to occur upon chat deletion, or who expect encryption (consistent with the application's use of an encrypted database to store chat text). NOTE: the vendor reportedly indicates that they do not "consider these to be security issues" because a user may legitimately want to preserve any file for use "in other apps like the Google Photos gallery" regardless of whether its associated chat is deleted
How severe is CVE-2017-8769?: CVE-2017-8769 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.6, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2017-8769 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (11th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2017-8769?: CVE-2017-8769 affects Whatsapp. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-8769?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2017-8769 published?: CVE-2017-8769 was published on 2017-05-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:whatsapp:whatsapp:*:*:*:*:*:android:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Whatsapp

CVE-2022-36934 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An integer overflow in WhatsApp could result in remote code execution in an established video call.
CVE-2021-24042 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The calling logic for WhatsApp for Android prior to v2.21.23, WhatsApp Business for Android prior to v2.21.23, WhatsApp…
CVE-2021-24041 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A missing bounds check in image blurring code prior to WhatsApp for Android v2.21.22.7 and WhatsApp Business for…
CVE-2021-24026 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A missing bounds check within the audio decoding pipeline for WhatsApp calls in WhatsApp for Android prior to v2.21.3,…
CVE-2020-1909 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A use-after-free in a logging library in WhatsApp for iOS prior to v2.20.111 and WhatsApp Business for iOS prior to…
CVE-2020-1907 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A stack overflow in WhatsApp for Android prior to v2.20.196.16, WhatsApp Business for Android prior to v2.20.196.12,…

All CVEs affecting Whatsapp →

Other CWE-311 (Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data) vulnerabilities

CVE-2023-6339 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Google Nest WiFi Pro root code-execution & user-data compromise
CVE-2023-4420 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A remote unprivileged attacker can intercept the communication via e.g. Man-In-The-Middle, due to the absence of…
CVE-2023-0750 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Yellobrik PEC-1864 implements authentication checks via javascript in the frontend interface. When the device can be…
CVE-2020-15331 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Zyxel CloudCNM SecuManager 3.1.0 and 3.1.1 has a hardcoded OAUTH_SECRET_KEY in /opt/axess/etc/default/axess.
CVE-2019-3431 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): All versions up to V4.01.01.02 of ZTE ZXCLOUD GoldenData VAP product have encryption problems vulnerability. Attackers…
CVE-2019-12924 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): MailEnable Enterprise Premium 10.23 was vulnerable to XML External Entity Injection (XXE) attacks that could be…

Browse all CWE-311 (Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data) vulnerabilities →