CVE-2003-0363
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 · uneditedFormat string vulnerability in LICQ 1.2.6, 1.0.3 and possibly other versions allows remote attackers to perform unknown actions via format string specifiers.
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 · moderate confidenceLICQ versions 1.2.6 and 1.0.3 contain a format string vulnerability where user-supplied input is passed directly to format string functions (likely printf-style functions) without proper sanitization. This allows remote attackers to inject format specifiers (%s, %x, %n, etc.) to read stack memory, write to arbitrary memory locations, or potentially execute arbitrary code.
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= 1.0.3= 1.2.6CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify LICQ is installedCheck for LICQ binary or package on the system. Common locations: /usr/bin/licq, /usr/local/bin/licq, or check via package manager (e.g., rpm -qa | grep -i licq, dpkg -l | grep -i licq)Affected if LICQ is not installed on the system
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Determine installed LICQ versionRun 'licq --version' or check via package manager (rpm -qi licq, dpkg -s licq)Affected if Version cannot be determined or LICQ is present but version info is unavailable
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Compare version to affected releasesCheck if installed version is exactly 1.0.3 or exactly 1.2.6Affected if Installed version is 1.0.3 or 1.2.6 - these are the only versions confirmed vulnerable
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Check if LICQ network functionality is enabledLICQ must be configured to connect to the ICQ network to receive remote user-supplied data. Check LICQ configuration files or run LICQ and verify connection settingsAffected if LICQ connects to ICQ network and receives messages from remote users - the format string flaw is exploitable via incoming messages or user data
System is affected only if LICQ version 1.0.3 or 1.2.6 is installed AND LICQ is configured to receive remote ICQ messages.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpgrade LICQ to a patched version that properly sanitizes format strings, or if no patched version is available, implement input validation to strip format specifiers from user-controlled data before passing it to format functions.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2003-0363 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2003-0363 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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