CVE-2026-81689

jahlives openssl_encrypt

Published 27 Aug 2026 · updated 3 Sept 2026 · Analyzed

8.7 High · CVSS 4.0, vulncheck.com

Description

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.

References

github.com/jahlives/openssl_encrypt/security/advisories/GHSA-3v63-778v-3mvp · Vendor Advisory
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openssl-encrypt-before-1.4.9-weak-pepper-key-derivation · Third Party Advisory