WhatsApp session hijacking via unchecked WebSocket origins
Published Apr 14, 2026 · Updated Apr 14, 2026
Cross-site WebSocket hijacking in nanobot before 0.1.5 allows remote attackers to control WhatsApp sessions through a malicious webpage. The bridge/src/server.ts connection handler accepts browser WebSocket handshakes without checking Origin when BRIDGE_TOKEN is unset, then exposes the full bridge API. Exploitation requires the bridge to run without its optional token and a local user to visit attacker-controlled content; attackers can read messages, capture QR codes, and send messages as the linked account.
Summary
What happened
Cross-site WebSocket hijacking in nanobot before 0.1.5 allows remote attackers to control WhatsApp sessions through a malicious webpage. The bridge/src/server.ts connection handler accepts browser WebSocket handshakes without checking Origin when BRIDGE_TOKEN is unset, then exposes the full bridge API. Exploitation requires the bridge to run without its optional token and a local user to visit attacker-controlled content; attackers can read messages, capture QR codes, and send messages as the linked account.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-35589
- Published
- Apr 14, 2026
- Updated
- Apr 14, 2026
- Vendor
- Data Intelligence Lab @ HKU
- Product
- nanobot
- Classifications
- CWE-1385
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Apr 14, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 14, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=< 0.1.5
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- GitHub advisory CSWSH proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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