What are the latest Irssi releases and security updates?

Updated

Irssi's most recent security-related release noted on irssi.org is Irssi 1.4.4, published on 2023-03-31 and labeled a security release. The latest version release listed is Irssi 1.4.5 on 2023-10-03, and the most recent feature update is SASL SCRAM-SHA support, added on 2024-04-01. If you run Irssi for IRC, the practical takeaway is: upgrade to at least 1.4.4 for the security fix, and preferably to 1.4.5 or newer for the latest fixes and features.

Release timeline

Date Update Type
2024-04-01 SASL SCRAM-SHA support Feature / authentication
2023-10-03 Irssi 1.4.5 Release
2023-03-31 Irssi 1.4.4 Security release

The site presents these as the "What's new" items, so they represent the most recent changes highlighted by the project.

What each update means

SASL SCRAM-SHA support (2024-04-01)

SASL is the authentication layer used when connecting to IRC networks that require or support identifying before/while joining. SCRAM-SHA is a challenge-response SASL mechanism, meaning your password is not sent in plaintext to the server during authentication. If your network supports SCRAM-SHA, this lets you authenticate more safely than with plaintext mechanisms.

Irssi 1.4.5 (2023-10-03)

A normal release. If you are on an older 1.4.x build, this is the version to target for the latest non-security changes available at that point.

Irssi 1.4.4 (2023-03-31)

Explicitly a security release. Security releases fix vulnerabilities, so running a version older than 1.4.4 leaves you exposed to whatever was patched. Treat 1.4.4 as the minimum acceptable version.

How to act on this

  1. Check your current version. In Irssi, run /version. The output shows the running version.
  2. Compare against the timeline. If you are below 1.4.4, you are missing a security fix. If you are below 1.4.5, you are missing later changes.
  3. Upgrade. Irssi provides upgrade documentation at https://irssi.org/documentation/help/upgrade/. Follow it for your install method (package manager, source build, etc.).
  4. Verify. After upgrading, run /version again and confirm the new number.

Common sticking points

  • Package lag. Your OS package manager may still ship an older Irssi. If /version shows something below 1.4.4 after an update, check whether your distro has backported the security fix or whether you need to build from source.
  • SASL configuration is separate from upgrading. Installing a version with SCRAM-SHA support does not enable it by itself; you still need to configure SASL for your network and choose a supported mechanism.
  • "Security release" is not the same as "latest release." 1.4.4 is the security milestone, but 1.4.5 came later, so the newest available version is the better target.

Quick decision guide

  • Only care about the security fix? Get to 1.4.4 or later.
  • Want the latest listed release? Use 1.4.5 or later.
  • Need SCRAM-SHA SASL? Use a build that includes the 2024-04-01 change, then configure SASL for your network.

For anything beyond these dates, check irssi.org directly, since the site only lists the updates above as current.