CVE-2026-81705 openssl-encrypt before 1.4.9 Password Cleartext Leak via Debug

High 8.7 Published 27 Aug 2026 Updated 1 Oct 2026

Attackers with access to debug logs can recover cleartext passwords due to incomplete redaction in openssl-encrypt library.

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

What is CVE-2026-81705?

CVE-2026-81705 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 before 1.4.9 fails to redact the file password in its --debug argv dump when the password is supplied via bundled short-option spellings (e.g. -apHunter2) or abbreviated long-option spellings (e.g. --passw). The sanitizer only recognized exact option names, --option=value forms, and tokens starting with -p, so these spellings bypass the redaction chokepoint and the cleartext password is written to stderr. Anyone with access to that output (terminal scrollback, merged 2>&1 output, CI job logs, or the GUI's persistent debug log) can recover the password.

Weakness: CWE-532

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-81705?

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-2026-81705?

Upgrade openssl-encrypt to 1.4.9 or later.

Is CVE-2026-81705 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-81705 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Jahlives Openssl Encrypt vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-jgvm-7jxv-cgcc, GHSA-qvh5-87jf-4g7p, PYSEC-2026-3780.