# CVE-2017-10966: Use after free in n/a

> A use-after-free vulnerability in Irssi allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service via crafted nick updates.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 7 Jul 2017
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2017-10966, DEBIAN-CVE-2017-10966, GHSA-3jw8-77gg-583w, UBUNTU-CVE-2017-10966

## What is CVE-2017-10966?

CVE-2017-10966 is a critical use after free vulnerability in n/a, published on 7 Jul 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An issue was discovered in Irssi before 1.0.4. While updating the internal nick list, Irssi could incorrectly use the GHashTable interface and free the nick while updating it. This would then result in use-after-free conditions on each access of the hash table.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2017-10966?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Irssi Irssi.

## How do I fix CVE-2017-10966?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2017-10966 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-10966 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2002-1840](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2002-1840/): Hardcoded credentials in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2017-10965](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-10965/): Null dereference in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-7191](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-7191/): Use after free in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2007-4396](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-4396/): Command injection in n/a (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2019-13045](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-13045/): Use after free in n/a (high 8.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2017-10966 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2017-10966 is a critical use after free vulnerability in n/a, published on 7 Jul 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-10966 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-10966/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-10966/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-10966
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-10966
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2017-10966

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-10966/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.