CVE-2026-81693: openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 Denial of Service via QR total field

Severity: high (CVSS 7.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.5% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-08-27 · updated 2026-09-02
Weakness: CWE-789

Description

openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 fails to validate the total field from QR JSON payloads before materializing ranges. Attackers can supply crafted QR images with extremely large total values to trigger unbounded memory allocation and cause denial of service through out-of-memory conditions.

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-r23m-gf2m-8www
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openssl-encrypt-before-1.4.9-denial-of-service-via-qr-total-field

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