# CVE-2026-53762: VeraCryp: wolfCrypt backend bypasses VeraCrypt PBKDF2 iteration count (non-default WOLFCRYPT=1 builds)

> Non-default VeraCrypt builds using wolfCrypt bypass PBKDF2 iterations, enabling cheaper offline password guessing against encrypted volumes.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 21 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 26 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-94c6-mgmv-mqc5

## What is CVE-2026-53762?

CVE-2026-53762 is a medium-severity vulnerability in VeraCrypt, published on 21 Aug 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

VeraCrypt provides disk encryption with strong security based on TrueCrypt. Prior to 1.26.29, non-default builds created with WOLFCRYPT=1 and WOLFCRYPT_BACKEND route SHA-256 and SHA-512 volume-header key derivation through derive_key_sha256 and derive_key_sha512 in src/Crypto/wolfCrypt.c, where the configured iterations value is discarded and wc_HKDF is used instead of PBKDF2-HMAC. Changing the PIM or iteration count therefore does not increase derivation cost, allowing an attacker with an affected container, disk image, or volume header to perform substantially cheaper offline password guesses. Official precompiled VeraCrypt binaries and normal distribution packages use the standard PBKDF2 backend and are not affected. Volumes created by an affected WOLFCRYPT=1 build require backup and recreation because corrected builds derive different keys. This issue is fixed in version 1.26.29.

Weakness: CWE-916 (Use of Password Hash With Insufficient Computational Effort)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53762?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-53762?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-53762 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-53762 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-53762 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-53762 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-53762 is a medium-severity vulnerability in VeraCrypt, published on 21 Aug 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-53762 exists.

Affected product: VeraCrypt. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53762/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53762/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53762
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53762
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-53762

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53762/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.