CVE-2018-5208
CVE-2018-5208 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Irssi with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-119.
Key facts
- Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
- CVSS v2: 7.5
- EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (82nd percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- Weakness: CWE-119
- Affected product: Irssi
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
In Irssi before 1.0.6, a calculation error in the completion code could cause a heap buffer overflow when completing certain strings.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2018-5208?
- In Irssi before 1.0.6, a calculation error in the completion code could cause a heap buffer overflow when completing certain strings.
- How severe is CVE-2018-5208?
- CVE-2018-5208 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
- Is CVE-2018-5208 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (82nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2018-5208?
- CVE-2018-5208 primarily affects Irssi. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2018-5208?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
- When was CVE-2018-5208 published?
- CVE-2018-5208 was published on 2018-01-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
Affected products (2)
- cpe:2.3:a:irssi:irssi:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
More vulnerabilities in Irssi
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- CVE-2018-5206 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): When the channel topic is set without specifying a sender, Irssi before 1.0.6 may dereference a NULL pointer.
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- CVE-2020-11896 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The Treck TCP/IP stack before 6.0.1.66 allows Remote Code Execution, related to IPv4 tunneling.