Unverified50% confidenceEventExact time
In 1998, the instant messaging software ICQ had a major security vulnerability labeled "Major ICQ security hole," whose core problem was serious flaws in how the client handled user authentication and message transmission.
1
Sources
50%
Confidence
Long-term
Relevance
10/16/2026
First Seen
Sources
Related Entities
Related Claims
UnverifiedIn the late 1990s, internet products generally prioritized feature iteration over security, and ICQ's vulnerabilities were merely a microcosm of the instant messaging security predicament of that time.74% similarUnverifiedThe ICQ team's response speed after the vulnerability disclosure was less than ideal, and patch delivery relied on users manually updating, leaving a large number of users exposed to risk for a long time.72% similarUnverifiedThe discussion of the ICQ vulnerability exposed the lack of vulnerability disclosure mechanisms at the time—no CVE numbers, no standardized vendor response window—and security researchers often could only publicize problems through mailing lists or forums.69% similar
Cite This Claim
Stable URI
https://kongchang.com/claim/1041389API
curl https://kongchang.com/api/v1/knowledge/claims/1041389MCP
get_claim(id=1041389)