CVE-2026-81697 json
openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 KDF Downgrade via CWD-relative Configuration
published 2mo ago modified last mo. also EUVD-2026-67053 , GHSA-7j2v-g84w-m75v
Unreviewed: the maintainers' own advisory
Published by the maintainers on their GitHub repository jahlives/openssl_encrypt. GitHub has not reviewed it into the GitHub Advisory Database, so the affected packages and versions are the maintainers' word. Read the full advisory on GitHub.
- cvss
- 5.5
- version 3.1, CNA
- cisa kev
- Not listed
- not in CISA's catalog
- epss
- 0.2%
- EPSS 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 10%
- public exploits
- 0
- none known
Summary
openssl_encrypt (pip package openssl-encrypt) versions <= 1.4.8 contain a CWD-relative configuration file resolution flaw in crypt_settings.py, where CONFIG_FILE (originally the absolute per-user path ~/.crypt_settings.json) is reassigned at line 84 to the bare relative name 'crypt_settings.json'. As a result, the legacy Tk GUI's SettingsTab reads and writes KDF settings from crypt_settings.json in the process launch (current working) directory instead of the user's home directory. An attacker who plants a malicious crypt_settings.json (e.g. sha256:1 with all memory-hard KDFs disabled) can silently downgrade encryption performed in that GUI session to roughly one hash round, bypassing the weak-KDF preflight and enabling offline brute-force attacks against the resulting ciphertext. Fixed in 1.4.9.
Patch / fix
- jahlives openssl_encrypt 1.4.9
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- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- partial
- Assessed
- 2mo ago
Exploit prediction
0.21% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 10% 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 | 5.5 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/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 |
Inferred packages
No advisory lists a package for this vulnerability yet. The CVE names these as products and links their GitHub repository, and the package registry names the same repository, so they are probably the affected packages. Low confidence: the versions are the CVE’s own for the product, and a stack check reports the package as unchecked when there are none.
| ecosystem | package | repository | affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| pypi | openssl-encrypt | jahlives/openssl_encrypt | no versions given |
Affected products
- jahlives openssl_encrypt
Classification
- Weakness
-
- CWE-426 Untrusted Search Path
References
-
github.com
/jahlives/openssl_encrypt/security/advisories/GHSA-7j2v-g84w-m75v
vendor-advisory, advisory
-
vulncheck.com
/advisories/openssl-encrypt-before-1.4.9-kdf-downgrade-via-cwd-relative-configuration
third-party-advisory
Sources
- CVE List CVE-2026-81697
- NVD CVE-2026-81697
- Maintainer advisory GHSA-7j2v-g84w-m75v
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.
CPEs and fixed versions use Anchore's correction of NVD's data: Added CPE configurations because not yet analyzed by NVD.