All WhatsApp users placed on red alert and urged to check one setting immediately

Anyone who uses WhatsApp would be wise to check their settings and make sure they are using the very latest version of this popular chat app. It's been confirmed that two worrying software flaws have been discovered, including one which could interfere with how media and attachments are handled, and another which affects WhatsApp for Windows.

As the security experts at Malwarebytes explain, "These bugs don't automatically infect devices, but they lower the barrier for social engineering and could be chained with other vulnerabilities for more serious attacks.

"In other words: a boobytrapped message could prompt your device to open content from an untrusted source."

Luckily, WhatsApp discovered the flaws (named CVE-2026-23866 and CVE-2026-23863) via its Meta Bug Bounty submissions and has released a fix.

However, users must make sure their phones are fully updated with the latest version of the chat app to stay protected.

There is currently no evidence to suggest that either bug has been exploited in the wild or infected any phones, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.

"We have not seen evidence of exploitation in the wild," WhatsApp confirmed.

If you have an Android phone, then follow the steps below to update WhatsApp from the Google Play Store.

• Open the Google Play Store

• Search for WhatsApp Messenger

• Tap Update

Those on iPhone need to follow these steps to stay protected.

• Open the App Store

• Tap your profile icon

• Scroll to find WhatsApp and tap Update

This news comes as some users could soon face being blocked from using WhatsApp. That's according to the team at WABetaInfo who say WhatsApp is planning to drop support for Android phones running OS versions older than Android 6 on September 8, 2026.

WABetaInfo has seen a message that will pop up on devices and says, "Later this year, WhatsApp won't work on this device".

Luckily, most won't be affected, as Android 6 was released in 2015; it is unlikely that the Android phone in your pocket will be running this ageing software.