CVE-2026-74878 openssl_encrypt before 1.4.0 TOTP Rate Limiter Bypass

Critical 9.3 Published 17 Aug 2026 Updated 8 Oct 2026

Attackers can bypass TOTP rate limiting by distributing attempts across workers or restarting the server, enabling brute-force attacks against two-factor authentication.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Over the internet
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: Available

What is CVE-2026-74878?

CVE-2026-74878 is a critical vulnerability in Jahlives Openssl Encrypt, published on 17 Aug 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

Official description

openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.0 use an in-memory rate limiter for TOTP brute-force protection that is not shared across workers and is lost on server restart. Attackers can distribute authentication attempts across multiple server instances or retry immediately after a restart to bypass rate limiting protections.

Weakness: CWE-770

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-74878?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including openssl-encrypt. It affects 1 product.

Package	Affected	Fixed in
`openssl-encrypt` PyPI	All versions	`1.4.0`
`openssl-encrypt` PyPI	All versions	`1.4.0`
`openssl-encrypt` PyPI	All versions	`1.4.0`

Products include Jahlives Openssl Encrypt.

How do I fix CVE-2026-74878?

Upgrade openssl-encrypt to 1.4.0 or later.

Is CVE-2026-74878 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-74878 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Jahlives Openssl Encrypt vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-crfx-7r98-6r44, GHSA-h45m-mgcp-q388, PYSEC-2026-3757.