Answer in brief
CVE-2026-81697 records a High severity (CVSS 8.7) 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.
CVSS is 8.7. 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.
The current feed maps jahlives/openssl_encrypt (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.
| Package | Affected range | Fixed version |
|---|---|---|
| jahlives/openssl_encryptgeneric | >=0 <1.4.9 | 1.4.9 |
Published upstream
Aug 27, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:recordSource modified
Oct 1, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:recordFirst seen by HOL
Aug 27, 2026
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.