CVE-2026-54073 VeraCrypt: Hidden volume quick format weakens plausible deniability
VeraCrypt hidden volume creation leaves predictable plaintext markers, weakening plausible deniability against forensic inspection.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-54073?
CVE-2026-54073 is a medium-severity vulnerability in VeraCrypt, published on 21 Aug 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
VeraCrypt provides disk encryption with strong security based on TrueCrypt. From 1.26.6 until 1.26.29, file-hosted hidden volume creation forces quick format and the FormatNoFs function in src/Common/Format.c and FormatFat function in src/Common/Fat.c use WriteFile to place raw zeroed sectors at predictable 128 MiB intervals. These writes bypass the normal EncryptDataUnits formatting path, leaving deterministic plaintext markers in an area expected to resemble random ciphertext. The markers can weaken plausible deniability during forensic inspection, although they do not disclose hidden-volume content or reduce the strength of VeraCrypt encryption. This issue is fixed in version 1.26.29.
Weakness: CWE-693
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-54073?
How do I fix CVE-2026-54073?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-54073 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2026-54073 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-54073 exists.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-jjcr-75w7-58jp.