CVE-2026-81689 openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 Weak Pepper Key Derivation

High 8.7 Published 27 Aug 2026 Updated 1 Oct 2026

Weak key derivation in openssl_encrypt allows attackers to recover user passwords via offline dictionary attacks on wrapped pepper blobs.

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

What is CVE-2026-81689?

CVE-2026-81689 is a high-severity vulnerability in Jahlives Openssl Encrypt, published on 27 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 1.4.9 derive the remote-pepper wrap key using unsalted HKDF-SHA256 or bare SHA-256 of the password, allowing identical keys across all users and files. Attackers with access to wrapped pepper blobs can precompute a single dictionary table and perform fleet-wide offline password guessing at hardware speed to recover user passwords.

Weakness: CWE-916

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-81689?

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

Package	Affected	Fixed in
`openssl-encrypt` PyPI	All versions	`1.4.9`

Products include Jahlives Openssl Encrypt.

How do I fix CVE-2026-81689?

Upgrade openssl-encrypt to 1.4.9 or later.

Is CVE-2026-81689 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-81689 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Jahlives Openssl Encrypt vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-3v63-778v-3mvp, GHSA-xg65-9m9r-rm73, PYSEC-2026-3959.