CVE-2026-53524
WeeChat has a Decompression Bomb in Relay WebSocket (DoS)
CVE-2026-53524 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.5) in Weechat, published August 9, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.48%, the 41st percentile. Fixed in weechat 4.9.3-1.
WeeChat (Wee Enhanced Environment for Chat) is a free chat client. In versions 4.3.0 through 4.9.0, the WeeChat relay module's WebSocket permessage-deflate decompression function relay_websocket_inflate() has no upper bound on output size. An authenticated relay user can send a small compressed WebSocket frame (~100 bytes) that decompresses to gigabytes, exhausting all server memory and crashing the entire WeeChat process. The api protocol enables permessage-deflate and requires authentication before WebSocket upgrade. Version 4.9.1 patches the issue.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
6.5
WeeChat has a Decompression Bomb in Relay WebSocket (DoS)
WeeChat (Wee Enhanced Environment for Chat) is a free chat client. In versions 4.3.0 through 4.9.0, the WeeChat relay module's WebSocket permessage-deflate decompression function relay_websocket_inflate() has no upper bound on output size. An authenticated relay user can send a small compressed WebSocket frame (~100 bytes) that decompresses to gigabytes, exhausting all server memory and crashing the entire WeeChat process. The api protocol enables permessage-deflate and requires authentication before WebSocket upgrade. Version 4.9.1 patches the issue.
- Record
CVE-2026-53524- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-409
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2026-64185
6.5
WeeChat (Wee Enhanced Environment for Chat) is a free chat client. In versions 4.3.0 through 4.9.0, the WeeChat relay module's WebSocket permessage-deflate decompression function relay_websocket_inflate() has no upper bound on output size. An authenticated relay user can send a small compressed WebSocket frame (~100 bytes) that decompresses to gigabytes, exhausting all server memory and crashing the entire WeeChat process. The api protocol enables permessage-deflate and requires authentication before WebSocket upgrade. Version 4.9.1 patches the issue.
- Record
EUVD-2026-64185- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
6.5
WeeChat (Wee Enhanced Environment for Chat) is a free chat client. In versions 4.3.0 through 4.9.0, the WeeChat relay module's WebSocket permessage-deflate decompression function relay_websocket_inflate() has no upper bound on output size. An authenticated relay user can send a small compressed WebSocket frame (~100 bytes) that decompresses to gigabytes, exhausting all server memory and crashing the entire WeeChat process. The api protocol enables permessage-deflate and requires authentication before WebSocket upgrade. Version 4.9.1 patches the issue.
- Record
CVE-2026-53524- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-409
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
6.5
WeeChat has a Decompression Bomb in Relay WebSocket (DoS)
WeeChat (Wee Enhanced Environment for Chat) is a free chat client. In versions 4.3.0 through 4.9.0, the WeeChat relay module's WebSocket permessage-deflate decompression function relay_websocket_inflate() has no upper bound on output size. An authenticated relay user can send a small compressed WebSocket frame (~100 bytes) that decompresses to gigabytes, exhausting all server memory and crashing the entire WeeChat process. The api protocol enables permessage-deflate and requires authentication before WebSocket upgrade. Version 4.9.1 patches the issue.
- Record
CVE-2026-53524- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-409
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2026-53524
6.5
WeeChat (Wee Enhanced Environment for Chat) is a free chat client. In versions 4.3.0 through 4.9.0, the WeeChat relay module's WebSocket permessage-deflate decompression function relay_websocket_inflate() has no upper bound on output size. An authenticated relay user can send a small compressed WebSocket frame (~100 bytes) that decompresses to gigabytes, exhausting all server memory and crashing the entire WeeChat process. The api protocol enables permessage-deflate and requires authentication before WebSocket upgrade. Version 4.9.1 patches the issue.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2026-53524- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2026-53524
6.5
WeeChat (Wee Enhanced Environment for Chat) is a free chat client. In versions 4.3.0 through 4.9.0, the WeeChat relay module's WebSocket permessage-deflate decompression function relay_websocket_inflate() has no upper bound on output size. An authenticated relay user can send a small compressed WebSocket frame (~100 bytes) that decompresses to gigabytes, exhausting all server memory and crashing the entire WeeChat process. The api protocol enables permessage-deflate and requires authentication before WebSocket upgrade. Version 4.9.1 patches the issue.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2026-53524- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVMGASA-2026-0561 No score
Updated weechat package fixes security vulnerabilities
Decompression Bomb in Relay WebSocket (DoS). (CVE-2026-53524) Non-Constant-Time Password Hash Comparison in Relay Authentication. (CVE-2026-53525)
- Record
MGASA-2026-0561- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2026:11481-1 No score
weechat-4.10.0-1.1 on GA media
These are all security issues fixed in the weechat-4.10.0-1.1 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.
- Record
openSUSE-SU-2026:11481-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2026:21615-1 No score
Security update for weechat
This update for weechat fixes the following issues:
Changes in weechat:
-
Update to 4.10.0:
Added
- core: add command /theme (#1338)
- core: add built-in "light" theme, applied automatically on first start on light-background terminals (#1338)
- core: add themable flag on configuration options (#1338)
- core: add options weechat.look.theme and weechat.look.theme_backup (#1338)
- api: add function theme_register (#1338)
- fset: add filter t:themable (#1338)
- relay/api: add resource GET /api/scripts
- relay: add option relay.network.unix_socket_permissions (#2317)
- script: add info "script_languages"
Changed
- core: improve speed of /upgrade with a lot of buffers and lines (#2338, #2339, #2341)
- core: improve speed of display of long words in chat area (#2336)
- core: add condition on connected relay api clients in default value of option weechat.look.hotlist_add_conditions
- core: add /mute in default command for key Alt+= (toggle filters)
- api: change type of parameter "pos_option_name" to "const char **" in function config_search_with_string
- relay/api: add field "last_read_line_id" in GET /api/buffers
Fixed
- core: fix infinite loop when option weechat.look.read_marker_string is set to a string with a width of zero (#2337)
- core: fix option weechat.look.color_real_white not applied when color is "white" on 16+ colors terminals (#1742)
- core: fix buffer overflow in connection to SOCKS5 proxy (#2325)
- api: fix infinite loop in function string_replace when the search string is empty
- api: do not free dynamic string on error in function string_dyn_concat
- irc: fix tag in message with list of names when joining a channel
- fset: remove error displayed in core buffer when clicking with the mouse below the last option displayed
- guile, lua, perl, python, ruby, tcl: fix conversion of dates in the API functions
- irc: fix conversion of dates in received messages
Security
- core: fix buffer overflow in display of time in chat area with a custom time format (#2342)
- core: fix integer overflow in size calculation when evaluating "${hide:...}" and "${base_encode:...}" (#2335)
- core: fix possible buffer overflow in command /color alias (#2330)
- core: fix possible buffer overflow in list of commands displayed by /help (#2330)
- irc: fix heap use-after-free when a batched message causes a disconnection from the server (GHSA-rfmh-3r7f-jpx5)
- irc: fix stack buffer overflow when splitting a JOIN message with a large list of channels and keys (GHSA-q2xg-9ggx-77mr)
- irc: limit size of data received from the server to prevent memory exhaustion
- irc: fix out-of-bounds read on incoming DCC command with a quoted filename ending the message (#2322)
- logger: fix path traversal in log file name when a buffer local variable contains the char used internally to protect directory separators (#2340)
- relay: fix use-after-free and double free on remote buffer (GHSA-hx59-4hq9-6vmw)
- relay: fix authentication bypass with the "plain" password hash algorithm (GHSA-68ff-gq39-pqjm)
- relay: limit size of decompressed websocket frame with permessage-deflate to prevent memory exhaustion (GHSA-v2v4-45wm-5cr3, CVE-2026-53524)
- relay: limit size of received websocket frame and HTTP body to prevent memory exhaustion
- relay: limit size of partial message received while reading an HTTP request to prevent memory exhaustion
- relay: fix timing attack on password authentication (GHSA-vhv8-g2r9-cwcc, CVE-2026-53525)
- relay: fix out-of-bounds read in dump of data (#2324)
- relay/api: fix memory leak in resources "handshake", "input" and "completion" (GHSA-wmpc-m6g9-fwj8)
- relay: fix read of uncompressed websocket frame (#2331)
- api, relay: fix timing attack on TOTP validation (GHSA-vhv8-g2r9-cwcc, CVE-2026-53525)
- xfer: replace directory…
- Record
openSUSE-SU-2026:21615-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
weechatDebian:12 |
All versions, plus listed versions 3.8-14.0.1-14.0.2-14.0.5-14.1.1-1 Show 15 moreShow less4.10.0-14.3.1-14.4.2-14.4.3-14.4.3-1~bpo12+14.5.1-14.6.1-14.6.3-14.6.3-1~bpo12+14.7.2-14.8.1-14.9.0-14.9.3-14.9.4-14.9.5-1 |
None known |
weechatDebian:13 |
All versions, plus listed versions 4.10.0-14.6.3-14.7.2-14.8.1-14.9.0-14.9.3-14.9.4-14.9.5-1 |
None known |
weechatDebian:14 |
before 4.9.3-1, plus listed versions 4.6.3-14.7.2-14.8.1-14.9.0-1 |
4.9.3-1 |
weechatMageia:10 |
before 4.10.0-1.mga10 | 4.10.0-1.mga10 |
weechatUbuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 1.3-11.3-1build11.4-11.4-1build11.4-1build21.4-21.4-2ubuntu0.11.4-2ubuntu0.1+esm1 |
None known |
weechatUbuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 1.9.1-11.9.1-1build11.9.1-1ubuntu11.9.1-1ubuntu1+esm1 |
None known |
weechatUbuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 2.6-22.6-2build12.6-2build22.6-2ubuntu12.6-2ubuntu22.8-12.8-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 |
None known |
weechatUbuntu:22.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 3.3-13.3-1ubuntu13.4-23.4-2build13.4-2build23.4.1-13.5-1 |
None known |
weechatUbuntu:24.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 4.0.5-14.1.1-14.1.1-1build24.1.1-1build34.1.1-1build64.1.1-1build7 |
None known |
weechatUbuntu:26.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 4.6.3-1build14.7.2-14.8.1-1 |
None known |
weechatopenSUSE:Tumbleweed |
before 4.10.0-1.1 | 4.10.0-1.1 |
weechatopenSUSE:Leap 16.0 |
before 4.10.0-bp160.1.1 | 4.10.0-bp160.1.1 |
History
| When | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-02 | created | CVE List, EUVD, NVD, OSV |
References
github.com/weechat/weechat/security/advisories/GHSA-v2v4-45wm-5cr3
github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/53xxx/CVE-2026-53524.json
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53524
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-53524
advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2026-0561.html
bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=36178
Show 8 moreShow less
lists.opensuse.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/VFSQ7FTIVCLLWHLTI3PZWITYB7QEHYLO
weechat.org/doc/weechat/security/WSA-2026-1
github.com/weechat/weechat/security/advisories/GHSA-vhv8-g2r9-cwcc
weechat.org/doc/weechat/security/WSA-2026-2
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-53524
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53524
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-53524
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-53525
Left out here: the rest of 1 source description. The JSON record has them.