# CVE-2020-1906: Memory corruption in WhatsApp Business for Android

> A buffer overflow in WhatsApp for Android allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by sending malformed local videos with specific audio streams.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 6 Oct 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-rr52-7c3x-9vw4

## What is CVE-2020-1906?

CVE-2020-1906 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Facebook WhatsApp Business for Android, published on 6 Oct 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A buffer overflow in WhatsApp for Android prior to v2.20.130 and WhatsApp Business for Android prior to v2.20.46 could have allowed an out-of-bounds write when processing malformed local videos with E-AC-3 audio streams.

Weakness: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write), CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-1906?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Whatsapp Whatsapp, Whatsapp Whatsapp Business.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-1906?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-1906 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-1906 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-1906 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Facebook WhatsApp Business for Android

- [CVE-2019-3568](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-3568/): WhatsApp VOIP Stack Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2019-18426](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-18426/): WhatsApp Cross-Site Scripting (high 8.2, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-55177](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-55177/): Meta Platforms WhatsApp Incorrect Authorization (medium 5.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-36934](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-36934/): Integer overflow in WhatsApp Business for Android (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-24042](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-24042/): Memory corruption in WhatsApp Business for Android (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-1906 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-1906 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Facebook WhatsApp Business for Android, published on 6 Oct 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-1906 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Facebook WhatsApp Business for Android. 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-2020-1906/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1906/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1906
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-1906
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-1906

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1906/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.