CVE-2026-81717
openssl_encrypt (pip package openssl-encrypt) before 1.4.9 contains two weaknesses in the portable USB drive feature, whose threat model treats the removable drive as untrusted (attacker with physical write access).
Does this matter?
High impact if exploited, but EPSS currently rates exploitation as unlikely (0.09%). Schedule it in the normal patch cycle and watch for a rise in EPSS or a public exploit.
Description
openssl_encrypt (pip package openssl-encrypt) before 1.4.9 contains two weaknesses in the portable USB drive feature, whose threat model treats the removable drive as untrusted (attacker with physical write access). USBDriveCreator._verify_integrity_file only validates files listed in the manifest, so files added to the drive — including a root-level autorun payload — are not detected and integrity verification still passes. Additionally, a globally constant, source-embedded KDF salt (_LEGACY_FIXED_SALT) is used to derive the drive encryption key for any drive lacking a per-drive salt file, defeating precomputation resistance and enabling an offline rainbow-table attack.
- CVSS 4.0
- 9.3 CRITICALCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/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/M
- EPSS
- 0.09% probability · 1th percentile
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Weakness
- CWE-347
- Affected
- jahlives/openssl encrypt
- Source
- disclosure@vulncheck.com
References
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA. Refreshed daily.