How severe is CVE-2021-24043?

CVE-2021-24043 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.1, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-24043 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (62nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-24043?

CVE-2021-24043 primarily affects Whatsapp. In total, 5 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-24043?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2021-24043 published?

CVE-2021-24043 was published on 2022-02-02 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-24043

CVE-2021-24043 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Whatsapp with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.1. 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-125.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.1)
CVSS v2: 6.4
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (62nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-125
Affected product: Whatsapp
Published: 2022-02-02
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A missing bound check in RTCP flag parsing code prior to WhatsApp for Android v2.21.23.2, WhatsApp Business for Android v2.21.23.2, WhatsApp for iOS v2.21.230.6, WhatsApp Business for iOS 2.21.230.7, and WhatsApp Desktop v2.2145.0 could have allowed an out-of-bounds heap read if a user sent a malformed RTCP packet during an established call.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-24043?: A missing bound check in RTCP flag parsing code prior to WhatsApp for Android v2.21.23.2, WhatsApp Business for Android v2.21.23.2, WhatsApp for iOS v2.21.230.6, WhatsApp Business for iOS 2.21.230.7, and WhatsApp Desktop v2.2145.0 could have allowed an out-of-bounds heap read if a user sent a malformed RTCP packet during an established call.
How severe is CVE-2021-24043?: CVE-2021-24043 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.1, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-24043 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (62nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-24043?: CVE-2021-24043 primarily affects Whatsapp. In total, 5 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-24043?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2021-24043 published?: CVE-2021-24043 was published on 2022-02-02 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (5)

cpe:2.3:a:whatsapp:whatsapp:2.21.23.2:*:*:*:*:android:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:whatsapp:whatsapp:2.21.230.6:*:*:*:*:iphone_os:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:whatsapp:whatsapp:2.2145.0:*:*:*:desktop:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:whatsapp:whatsapp_business:2.21.23.2:*:*:*:*:android:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:whatsapp:whatsapp_business:2.21.230.7:*:*:*:*:iphone_os:*:*

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-125 (Out-of-bounds Read) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-24826 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Out-of-bounds Write, Divide By Zero, NULL Pointer Dereference, Use of Uninitialized Resource, Out-of-bounds Read,…
CVE-2024-22004 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Due to length check, an attacker with privilege access on a Linux Nonsecure operating system can trigger a…
CVE-2021-41556 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): sqclass.cpp in Squirrel through 2.2.5 and 3.x through 3.1 allows an out-of-bounds read (in the core interpreter) that…
CVE-2021-21777 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An information disclosure vulnerability exists in the Ethernet/IP UDP handler functionality of EIP Stack Group OpENer…
CVE-2017-14451 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An exploitable out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in libevm (Ethereum Virtual Machine) of CPP-Ethereum. A…
CVE-2013-0767 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The nsSVGPathElement::GetPathLengthScale function in Mozilla Firefox before 18.0, Firefox ESR 10.x before 10.0.12 and…

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