WhatsApp confirms hacking attack that targeted specific users

WhatsApp recently said it had uncovered a hacking attempt that exploited flaws in both its app and Apple devices. The company added that it fixed the issue and believes fewer than 200 people worldwide were affected.

In an official statement, the company explained that attackers took advantage of a vulnerability in WhatsApp, tracked as CVE-2025-55177, alongside another flaw in Apple's operating system, CVE-2025-43300. Together, these loopholes could have allowed hackers to hijack a target's device by forcing it to process content from a malicious web address.

According to a report by Reuters on the matter, human rights group Amnesty International said some of those hit appeared to be members of civic organisations. Donncha Ó Cearbhaill, who heads Amnesty's Security Lab, said his team had begun collecting forensic data from possible victims and warned that both iPhone and Android users were affected. He also noted that other apps may have been targeted in the same campaign.

WhatsApp credited its own security team for finding the issue and said the attack was very advanced but may have been limited to a small number of targets.