CVE-2026-74874: openssl_encrypt before 1.4.0 Weak PRNG Steganography Pixel Selection

Severity: high (CVSS 7.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.4% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-08-17 · updated 2026-10-08
Weakness: CWE-338

Description

openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.0 use Python's non-cryptographic random module for steganographic pixel selection in the generate_pseudorandom_sequence function. Attackers who know the password can recover the Mersenne Twister state from approximately 624 outputs and predict pixel locations containing hidden data for extraction.

Affected products

jahlives openssl_encrypt: before 1.4.0 — fixed in 1.4.0

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: jahlives openssl_encrypt 1.4.0. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

https://github.com/jahlives/openssl_encrypt/security/advisories/GHSA-vfgx-5q85-58q3
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openssl-encrypt-before-weak-prng-steganography-pixel-selection

Get alerted when CVE-2026-74874 or the next vulnerability affects your stack