# CVE-2018-3986: Information disclosure in Telegram

> Deleted secret chat photos remain accessible to other apps on the device, allowing local attackers to read sensitive images.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.2 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 3 Jan 2019
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-jv2p-v47w-2xxm

## What is CVE-2018-3986?

CVE-2018-3986 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Telegram, published on 3 Jan 2019. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

An exploitable information disclosure vulnerability exists in the "Secret Chats" functionality of the Telegram Android messaging application version 4.9.0. The "Secret Chats" functionality allows a user to delete all traces of a chat, either by using a time trigger or by direct request. There is a bug in this functionality that leaves behind photos taken and shared on the secret chats, even after the chats are deleted. These photos will be stored in the device and accessible to all applications installed on the Android device.

Weakness: CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-3986?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Telegram Telegram.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-3986?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-3986 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-3986 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-3986 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Telegram

- [CVE-2019-10044](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-10044/): Other in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2018-20436](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-20436/): Server-side request forgery in n/a (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2024-7014](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-7014/): Improper multimedia file attachment validation in Telegram for Android app (high 7.1)
- [CVE-2021-31320](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-31320/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.1)
- [CVE-2021-31321](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-31321/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-3986 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-3986 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Telegram, published on 3 Jan 2019. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-3986 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Telegram. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-3986/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-3986/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-3986
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-3986
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-3986

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-3986/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.