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CVE-2018-3986· NVD / CVE Program· CNA talos

An exploitable information disclosure vulnerability exists in the "Secret Chats" functionality of the Telegram Android messaging application

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.

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit No fix recorded
Published
Jan 3, 2019
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
0.4% · 35th percentile
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Report tools

JSON

Action score

22

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
22 / 40 · 5.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.4%

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
5.5
CNA · talos
4.2
1.3 point gap

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Affected systems

VendorProduct
telegramtelegram

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • telegram telegram4.9.0

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (talos). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • n/a Telegram

    • Telegram Messaging Application for Android 4.9.0affected

Same product

telegram: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2019-10044Telegram Desktop before 1.5.12 on Windows, and the Telegram applications for Android, iOS, and Linux, is vulnerable to an IDN homograph atta
    36Monitor
  • CVE-2018-20436The "secret chat" feature in Telegram 4.9.1 for Android has a "side channel" in which Telegram servers send GET requests for URLs typed whil
    32Monitor
  • CVE-2024-7014Improper multimedia file attachment validation in Telegram for Android app
    28Monitor
  • CVE-2021-31321Telegram Android <7.1.0 (2090), Telegram iOS <7.1, and Telegram macOS <7.1 are affected by a Stack Based Overflow in the gray_split_cubic fu
    28Monitor
  • CVE-2021-31320Telegram Android <7.1.0 (2090), Telegram iOS <7.1, and Telegram macOS <7.1 are affected by a Heap Buffer Overflow in the VGradientCache::gen
    28Monitor
  • CVE-2020-12474Telegram Desktop through 2.0.1, Telegram through 6.0.1 for Android, and Telegram through 6.0.1 for iOS allow an IDN Homograph attack via Pun
    27Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
none
Availability
none
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
None

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-200 · Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

nvd-primary

Root cause

The extension requests broader permissions than its function needs and sends the data it collects out for purposes beyond its stated function.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-200 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

json
{  "permissions": ["tabs", "<all_urls>"],  "background": { "service_worker": "analytics.js" }}

Fixed

json
{  "permissions": ["activeTab"],  "host_permissions": ["https://yildiz.example/*"]}

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Noroxi analysis

No Noroxi analysis for this record yet

We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.

We use this product, ask for help

Change log

No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records