The buf.pl script before 2.20 in Irssi before 0.8.20 uses weak permissions for the scrollbuffer dump file created between upgrades, which might allow local users to obtain sensitive information from private chat conversations by reading the file.
Conclusion & alert: CVE-2016-7553 is rated Low Risk (24.3/100): CVSS Low severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.39%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.
Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.
EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).
| # | Date | Old EPSS score | New EPSS score | Delta (New - Old) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026-06-15 | 0.08% | 0.39% | +0.32% |
| 2 | 2025-06-19 | 0.04% | 0.08% | +0.04% |
| 3 | 2023-03-07 | — | 0.04% | — |
Full EPSS history (4 records total)
CVSS metrics for this CVE.
| Base score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability | Impact | Score source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.3 | 3.0 | LOW |
|
1.8 | 1.4 | [email protected] |
| 2.1 | 2.0 | LOW |
|
3.9 | 2.9 | [email protected] |
| vendor | priority | summary | link |
|---|---|---|---|
debian
|
not yet assigned | CVE-2016-7553 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (irssi), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. | https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2016-7553 |
redhat
|
low | — | https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-7553 |
ubuntu
|
low | CVE-2016-7553 low priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (irssi), 5 status rows across 5 suites (precise, trusty, upstream, xenial, yakkety): released 5. | https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-7553 |
| URL | Tags |
|---|---|
| http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/09/24/1 | Mailing List Patch |
| http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/09/26/4 | Mailing List Patch |
| http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/93155 | Third Party Advisory VDB Entry |
| https://github.com/irssi/scripts.irssi.org/commit/f1b1eb154baa684fad5d65bf4dff79c8ded8b65a | Patch |
| https://irssi.org/security/buf_pl_sa_2016.txt | Patch Vendor Advisory |
| https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/7OM3WHWQ7RIAOZSOZZUM4CUYGKSIAGJJ/ |