openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 KDF Downgrade via CWD-relative Configuration (CVE-2026-81697) | HOL Guard CVE

Unknown severity · Source severity not reportedCVE-2026-81697

openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 KDF Downgrade via CWD-relative Configuration

Answer in brief

CVE-2026-81697 records a Unknown severity vulnerability in openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 KDF Downgrade via CWD-relative Configuration. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps jahlives/openssl_encrypt (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Analysis pending evidence review

HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.

Published Aug 27, 2026Updated Aug 27, 2026Source checked Aug 27, 2026First seen by HOL Aug 27, 2026Material review Aug 27, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: Unknown severitySource severity not reported
Exploitation: Not marked as known exploited
Affected software: 1 mapped package or product
Fix availability: Available

Why this deserves its current priority

A CVSS score is not reported in the current record. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.

Analysis status

Analysis pending evidence review

Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.

Affected scope and exposure questions

The current feed maps jahlives/openssl_encrypt (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
jahlives/openssl_encryptgeneric	>=0 <1.4.9	1.4.9

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for jahlives/openssl_encrypt.
Review the reported fix. Update jahlives/openssl_encrypt to 1.4.9 if you use the affected versions. Test the change in a non-production environment first.

Evidence timeline and material changes

Published upstream
Aug 27, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
Source modified
Aug 27, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
First seen by HOL
Aug 27, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

Upstream source description

openssl_encrypt (pip package openssl-encrypt) versions <= 1.4.8 contain a CWD-relative configuration file resolution flaw in crypt_settings.py, where CONFIG_FILE (originally the absolute per-user path ~/.crypt_settings.json) is reassigned at line 84 to the bare relative name 'crypt_settings.json'. As a result, the legacy Tk GUI's SettingsTab reads and writes KDF settings from crypt_settings.json in the process launch (current working) directory instead of the user's home directory. An attacker who plants a malicious crypt_settings.json (e.g. sha256:1 with all memory-hard KDFs disabled) can silently downgrade encryption performed in that GUI session to roughly one hash round, bypassing the weak-KDF preflight and enabling offline brute-force attacks against the resulting ciphertext. Fixed in 1.4.9.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.