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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2016-7553 Irssi CVE debrief

CVE-2016-7553 is a low-severity local information disclosure issue in Irssi's buf.pl script. Weak permissions on a scrollbuffer dump file created during upgrades could let a local user read private chat content. The supplied advisory and patch references point to a permissions fix rather than a code-execution problem.

Vendor
Irssi
Product
Buf.pl
CVSS
LOW 3.3
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-02-27
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-02-27
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

Irssi users, IRC administrators, and distro maintainers on multi-user or shared Unix-like systems should care most, especially where local shell access is available or upgrade-time dump files may persist.

Technical summary

The issue affects the buf.pl script used with Irssi. According to the supplied description, versions before 2.20 in Irssi before 0.8.20 can create a scrollbuffer dump file with overly weak permissions between upgrades. A local attacker with existing system access could read that file and recover sensitive private chat conversations. NVD classifies the issue as AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N and maps it to CWE-275 (Improper Permission Assignment for Critical Resource).

Defensive priority

Low overall, but worth prompt remediation on shared or multi-user systems because the impact is confidentiality exposure through a locally readable file.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Apply the vendor patch or updated buf.pl/Irssi release referenced in the advisory.
  • Verify upgrade-time scrollbuffer dump files are created with restrictive permissions and are removed after use.
  • Review existing systems for leftover dump files and delete any that may contain private chat history.
  • Limit local account access on shared hosts and audit file permissions in the Irssi data directory.
  • Use the official advisory and package notes to confirm your deployed version is outside the affected range.

Evidence notes

The supplied corpus includes the Irssi vendor advisory, Openwall mailing-list patch notices, a GitHub patch commit, and a Fedora package announcement. The description says 'buf.pl script before 2.20 in Irssi before 0.8.20,' while the NVD CPE criteria lists 'buf.pl' vulnerable through 2.13; this debrief preserves that discrepancy rather than trying to resolve it beyond the supplied data. The issue is consistently framed as a weak-permissions disclosure affecting private chat data. No KEV entry is present in the supplied timeline.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2016-7553 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-7553

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2016-7553 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-7553

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.