{"id":"CVE-2026-81681","title":"openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 False Encryption via Cleartext Storage","summary":"openssl_encrypt (pip package openssl-encrypt) versions <= 1.4.8 advertise a portable USB workspace as an 'Encrypted USB Workspace' with AES-256-GCM encryption and write a marker declaring the workspace encrypted, but the workspace direct…","severity":"medium","cvss":4.6,"cvssVector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","cvssSource":"cna","cwe":["CWE-311"],"vendor":"jahlives","product":"openssl_encrypt","affected":["openssl_encrypt < 1.4.9"],"ssvc":{"exploitation":"none","automatable":"no","technicalImpact":"partial","timestamp":"2026-08-27T17:50:56.476052Z"},"published":"2026-08-27","updated":"2026-10-01","sourceUpdated":"2026-10-01T15:21:17.594Z","source":"CVEORG","sourceUrl":"https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-81681","references":[{"url":"https://github.com/jahlives/openssl_encrypt/security/advisories/GHSA-2jv6-qqfm-m46m","label":"GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-2jv6-qqfm-m46m)"},{"url":"https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openssl-encrypt-before-1.4.9-false-encryption-via-cleartext-storage","label":"VulnCheck Advisory: openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 False Encryption via Cleartext Storage"}],"tags":["cve.org","osv","pip"],"epss":0.00172,"epssPercentile":0.06557,"aliases":["PYSEC-2026-3791","GHSA-2jv6-qqfm-m46m"],"ecosystem":"pip","patched":["openssl-encrypt 1.4.9"],"ingestedAt":"2026-09-03T19:32:11.942Z","slug":"CVE-2026-81681","body":"## Overview\n\nopenssl_encrypt (pip package openssl-encrypt) versions <= 1.4.8 advertise a portable USB workspace as an 'Encrypted USB Workspace' with AES-256-GCM encryption and write a marker declaring the workspace encrypted, but the workspace directory is actually stored in cleartext and the derived encryption key is never applied to it. A user who trusts the branding and places files in the workspace leaves them unencrypted on the removable media, so an attacker with physical access to the media can read the sensitive files. Fixed in 1.4.9, which seals the workspace into an authenticated AES-256-GCM vault.\n\n## Affected\n\n- `openssl_encrypt < 1.4.9`\n\n## Remediation\n\nRefer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.\n\n## Package advisory (CVE-2026-81681)\n\nAffected packages:\n\n- `openssl-encrypt < 1.4.9`\n\nPatched in:\n\n- `openssl-encrypt 1.4.9`\n\nSource: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/PYSEC-2026-3791","depth":"sunlit","depthScore":25,"depthScoreParts":{"impact":25.3,"likelihood":0,"exploitation":0,"ransomware":0},"changes":[{"seq":214426,"id":"CVE-2026-81681","ts":1790869818259,"field":"cvss","old":null,"new":"4.6"},{"seq":214425,"id":"CVE-2026-81681","ts":1790869818259,"field":"severity","old":"none","new":"medium"}]}