Description
An information leak exists in the handling of the MXIT protocol in Pidgin. Specially crafted MXIT data sent via the server could potentially result in an out-of-bounds read. A malicious user, server, or man-in-the-middle can send an invalid size for an avatar which will trigger an out-of-bounds read vulnerability. This could result in a denial of service or copy data from memory to the file, resulting in an information leak if the avatar is sent to another user.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pidgin | Pidgin | 2.10.11 | — |
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 14 | pidgin | 2.11.0-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | pidgin | 2.11.0-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | pidgin | 2.11.0-1 | — |
| Debian 8 | pidgin | 2.11.0-0+deb8u1 | DSA-3620-1 |
| Debian 7 | pidgin | 2.10.10-1~deb7u2 | DLA-542-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | pidgin | 1:2.10.12-0ubuntu5.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | pidgin | 1:2.10.9-0ubuntu3.3 | USN-3031-1 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 11 SP4 | pidgin | 2.6.6-0.29.1 | SUSE-SU-2016:2416-1 |
Advisories 4
- USN-3031-1 pidgin vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 22, 2026
- DLA-542-1 pidgin - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DSA-3620-1 pidgin - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2016:2416-1 Security update for pidgin SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
References
- 91335 vdb-entry
- http://www.pidgin.im/news/security/?id=100
- DSA-3620 vendor-advisory
- GLSA-201701-38 vendor-advisory
- USN-3031-1 vendor-advisory
- http://www.talosintelligence.com/reports/TALOS-2016-0135/