CVE-2026-81689 json
openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 Weak Pepper Key Derivation
published 2mo ago modified last mo. also EUVD-2026-67045 , GHSA-3v63-778v-3mvp , PYSEC-2026-3959
- cvss
- 7.5
- version 3.1, CNA
- cisa kev
- Not listed
- not in CISA's catalog
- epss
- 0.3%
- EPSS 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 19%
- public exploits
- 0
- none known
Summary
openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.9 derive the remote-pepper wrap key using unsalted HKDF-SHA256 or bare SHA-256 of the password, allowing identical keys across all users and files. Attackers with access to wrapped pepper blobs can precompute a single dictionary table and perform fleet-wide offline password guessing at hardware speed to recover user passwords.
Patch / fix
- pypi openssl-encrypt 1.4.9
- jahlives openssl_encrypt 1.4.9
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- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- partial
- Assessed
- 2mo ago
Exploit prediction
0.27% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 19% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-11).
CVSS scores
| assigned by | version | score | vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | 4.0 | 8.7 | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N |
| CNA | 3.1 | 7.5 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N |
| CNA | 4.0 | 8.7 | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X |
Affected packages
| ecosystem | package | affected | fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| pypi | openssl-encrypt | <1.4.9 |
1.4.9 |
Affected products
- jahlives openssl_encrypt
Classification
- Weakness
-
- CWE-916 Use of Password Hash With Insufficient Computational Effort
References
-
github.com
/jahlives/openssl_encrypt/security/advisories/GHSA-3v63-778v-3mvp
vendor-advisory, advisory
-
vulncheck.com
/advisories/openssl-encrypt-before-1.4.9-weak-pepper-key-derivation
third-party-advisory, advisory
Sources
- CVE List CVE-2026-81689
- NVD CVE-2026-81689
- OSV PYSEC-2026-3959
- Maintainer advisory GHSA-3v63-778v-3mvp
Fencer Intel keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.
The maintainers of jahlives/openssl_encrypt published their own advisory on GitHub. Reviewed sources take precedence over it.