CVE-2026-81717 openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 Integrity Bypass via Added Files

Critical 9.3 Published 27 Aug 2026 Updated 1 Oct 2026

An attacker with physical access can bypass integrity checks on USB drives and potentially decrypt data using a static salt, compromising security features.

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

What is CVE-2026-81717?

CVE-2026-81717 is a critical 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 (pip package openssl-encrypt) before 1.4.9 contains two weaknesses in the portable USB drive feature, whose threat model treats the removable drive as untrusted (attacker with physical write access). USBDriveCreator._verify_integrity_file only validates files listed in the manifest, so files added to the drive — including a root-level autorun payload — are not detected and integrity verification still passes. Additionally, a globally constant, source-embedded KDF salt (_LEGACY_FIXED_SALT) is used to derive the drive encryption key for any drive lacking a per-drive salt file, defeating precomputation resistance and enabling an offline rainbow-table attack.

Weakness: CWE-347

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-81717?

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-2026-81717?

Upgrade openssl-encrypt to 1.4.9 or later.

Is CVE-2026-81717 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-81717 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Jahlives Openssl Encrypt vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-4pgx-8hjp-cmmq, GHSA-8jx3-27qf-3p97, PYSEC-2026-3801.