CVE-2014-0020: The IRC protocol plugin in libpurple in Pidgin before 2.10.8 does not validate argument counts, which allow...

Security readout for executives and security teams

This is a remote crash issue in Pidgin's libpurple IRC plugin before 2.10.8. A malicious or compromised IRC server could send a crafted message that makes the user's chat client crash. The known impact is denial of service to the local application, not data theft or system compromise. Exposure is limited to environments using Pidgin or libpurple before 2.10.8 with the IRC protocol plugin enabled, especially when connecting to untrusted IRC servers. Modern systems are likely patched, but legacy desktops, embedded packages, or frozen Linux images should be checked. Treat this as a legacy availability risk. It is unlikely to justify emergency response unless IRC-based workflows are business-critical, but vulnerable clients should be removed or patched during standard endpoint hygiene work. Mitigation focus: Upgrade Pidgin/libpurple to 2.10.8 or a vendor-patched package.; Prioritize systems that still use IRC through Pidgin or libpurple.; Avoid untrusted IRC servers until vulnerable clients are patched..

Prepared

Jun 14, 2026, 14:50 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.