CVE-2003-0323: Multiple buffer overflows in ircII 20020912 allows remote malicious IRC servers to cause a denial of service (

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HIGH 7.5DOWNGRADE

CVE-2003-0323 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.5) affecting ircii. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Multiple buffer overflows in ircII 20020912 allows remote malicious IRC servers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via responses that are not properly fed to the my_strcat function by (1) ctcp_buffer, (2) cannot_join_channel, (3) status_make_printable for Statusbar drawing, (4) create_server_list, and possibly other functions.

Why this priority

High severity

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	7.5 (High)
EPSS exploit chance	2.6% (top 15%)
CISA exploited list	No
Published	2003-06-09
Last modified	2026-06-16

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: michael sandrof

Last updated 2026-06-16 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2003-06-09 04:00 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-16 22:01 UTCUpdated Record last modified

michael sandrof ircii DOWNGRADE

Affected: 2002-09-12

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 2002-09-12

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy ircii || rpm -q ircii || ircii --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 2002-09-12 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison ircii sudo apt install ircii=<VERSION_BEFORE_2002-09-12> sudo apt-mark hold ircii

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list ircii sudo dnf downgrade ircii-<VERSION_BEFORE_2002-09-12> sudo dnf versionlock add ircii

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2003-0323?

ircii: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2003-0323 being exploited?

CVE-2003-0323 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2003-0323 affect?

CVE-2003-0323 affects ircii. Severity is high (CVSS 7.5). Multiple buffer overflows in ircII 20020912 allows remote malicious IRC servers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via responses that are not properly fed to the my_strcat function by (1) ctcp_buffer, (

How urgent is CVE-2003-0323?

Priority 48/100. High severity

Related CVEs

CVE-2021-29376 HIGH 7.5 UPGRADE MITIGATE ircII before 20210314 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (segmentation fault and client cras
CVE-2000-0183 MEDIUM 5.1 DOWNGRADE Buffer overflow in ircII 4.4 IRC client allows remote attackers to execute commands via the DCC chat capabilit

References

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