What’s Vulnerable › Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-81680: openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 Authentication Bypass via Recovery Slot Removal

• Severity: medium (CVSS 5.3 v3.1)
• Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
• EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
• Public exploit or detection template: none known
• Published: 2026-08-27 · updated 2026-09-03
• Weakness: CWE-347

Description

openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.9 fail to authenticate recovery-slot presence in envelope-format encrypted files, allowing attackers to remove recovery slots without re-encrypting the payload. Attackers can modify the file header to delete recovery-slot fields and bypass authentication, silently removing recovery paths the owner deliberately added.

Affected products

• jahlives openssl_encrypt: before 1.4.9 — fixed in 1.4.9

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: jahlives openssl_encrypt 1.4.9. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

• https://github.com/jahlives/openssl_encrypt/security/advisories/GHSA-grhj-cpmg-f5mx
• https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openssl-encrypt-before-1.4.9-authentication-bypass-via-recovery-slot-removal

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