Description
BitlBee before 3.5 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a file transfer request for a contact that is not in the contact list.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 13 | bitlbee | 3.5-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | bitlbee | 3.5-1 | — |
| Debian 8 | bitlbee | 3.2.2-2+deb8u1 | DSA-3853-1 |
| Debian 7 | bitlbee | 3.0.5-1.2+deb7u1 | DLA-832-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | bitlbee | 3.4.2-0ubuntu1+esm1 | USN-8977-1 |
Advisories 3
- USN-8977-1 bitlbee vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 4, 2026
- DLA-832-1 bitlbee - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DSA-3853-1 bitlbee - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- 95931 vdb-entry
- https://bugs.bitlbee.org/ticket/1282
- DSA-3853 vendor-advisory
- https://github.com/bitlbee/bitlbee/commit/701ab8129ba9ea64f569daedca9a8603abad740f
- [oss-security] 20170131 Re: CVE Request - Remote DoS vulnerabilities in BitlBee mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20170130 CVE Request - Remote DoS vulnerabilities in BitlBee mailing-list