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XchatApplication

CVE-2000-0787

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2000-10-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
IRC Xchat client versions 1.4.2 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands by encoding shell metacharacters into a URL which XChat uses to launch a web browser.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Command injection vulnerability in IRC XChat client versions 1.4.2 and earlier where shell metacharacters embedded in URLs are passed to the system shell when XChat launches a web browser, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands.

MitigationUpgrade XChat to a version newer than 1.4.2; alternatively, disable automatic URL launching in XChat settings or use a different IRC client if upgrade is not possible.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
XchatApplication
Affected:= 1.2.1= 1.3.9= 1.3.10= 1.3.11= 1.3.12= 1.3.13= 1.4= 1.4.1= 1.4.2= 1.5.6= 1.5.xdev

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify XChat is installed
    Check for the xchat executable in common locations such as /usr/bin/xchat, /usr/local/bin/xchat, or run 'which xchat' on Linux/Unix systems. On Windows, check Program Files for XChat folder.
    Affected if XChat executable is found on the system
  2. Determine installed XChat version
    Run 'xchat --version' or 'xchat -v' from command line, or right-click the XChat icon and select About to view the version number.
    Affected if Version matches any of: 1.2.1, 1.3.9, 1.3.10, 1.3.11, 1.3.12, 1.3.13, 1.4, 1.4.1, 1.4.2, 1.5.6, or 1.5.xdev
  3. Confirm automatic URL launching is enabled
    Open XChat and navigate to Settings > Preferences > General or URLs section. Look for options like 'Open URLs automatically' or 'Launch browser for URLs'. Alternatively, check the config file ~/.xchat2/xchat.conf for url_auto_open or similar setting set to 1 or true.
    Affected if Automatic URL opening to browser is enabled in XChat settings

System is affected if XChat is installed with a version 1.4.2 or earlier and automatic URL launching to external browser is enabled, allowing shell metacharacters in IRC URLs to execute arbitrary commands.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade XChat to a version newer than 1.4.2; alternatively, disable automatic URL launching in XChat settings or use a different IRC client if upgrade is not possible.

Fix this in Xchat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2000-0787 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data