VulnerabilityDeferred

CVE-2026-8721

Crypt::OpenSSL::PKCS12 versions through 1.94 for Perl truncates passwords with embedded NULLs.

CRITICAL 9.8EPSS 0.45%

Does this matter?

High impact if exploited, but EPSS currently rates exploitation as unlikely (0.45%). Schedule it in the normal patch cycle and watch for a rise in EPSS or a public exploit.

Description

Crypt::OpenSSL::PKCS12 versions through 1.94 for Perl truncates passwords with embedded NULLs. Password parameters in PKCS12.xs are declared char *, which routes through Perl's default typemap to SvPV_nolen. The Perl length is discarded. The C code (or OpenSSL internally) calls strlen() on the buffer. Any password byte at or after the first NULL is silently dropped. Binary / KDF-derived / HMAC-derived passwords lose entropy without any warnings.

CVSS 3.1: 9.8 CRITICALCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS: 0.45% probability · 38th percentile
CISA KEV: Not listed
Weakness: CWE-170
Source: 9b29abf9-4ab0-4765-b253-1875cd9b441e

References

Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA. Refreshed daily.