Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessCraft file with embedded unencrypted PQC key
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DeliveryDeliver crafted file to target application
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ExploitLibrary decrypts file accepting any password
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ExecutionPQC key encryption status check bypassed
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PersistAttacker-chosen plaintext returned to application
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ImpactFalse integrity verification accepted as trusted output
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A07:2025 - Authentication Failures
ASVS 5.0
V6 - Authentication Authentication mechanism validation
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Defense Evasion, Initial Access The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires that the target system runs openssl_encrypt in a version prior to 1.4.9 and that the attacker can deliver a crafted encrypted file to a code path that invokes the library's decryption logic. No authentication, elevated privileges, or special configuration is required on the attacker's side - the CVSS 4.0 vector (PR:N/UI:N/AC:L) confirms unauthenticated, zero-interaction exploitation. The limiting factor is delivery: the attacker must be able to supply a malicious file to the application - for example through a file-upload endpoint, shared network storage, or any interface that passes file data to the vulnerable decrypt path. Deployments that only decrypt internally-generated files and never accept externally-supplied encrypted content face significantly reduced risk, but this is a deployment characteristic, not a product-level protection. |
| Impact | The CVSS 4.0 base score of 8.7 is assigned with AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N, indicating a network-accessible, unauthenticated, low-complexity attack requiring no user interaction and yielding high confidentiality impact on the vulnerable system. This vector is internally consistent with the description: an attacker crafts a file and delivers it to any endpoint running a vulnerable version of the library; no account or special configuration is prerequisite. No EPSS score was included in the source intelligence, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified probabilistically. The vulnerability is absent from the CISA KEV catalog and no POC has been reported, suggesting it has not been operationalized in the wild as of this analysis. Despite the high CVSS score, the realistic blast radius is bounded by the niche deployment footprint of this library - organizations not using openssl_encrypt for PQC-enabled file encryption are not affected. For those who do use it, the risk is material: an attacker who can deliver a crafted file (e.g., via upload endpoint, email attachment, or shared storage) can completely subvert the encryption and authentication guarantees that the library is supposed to provide. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker targeting a web application or automated pipeline that accepts encrypted file uploads constructs a file with an unencrypted PQC private key planted in the file's metadata section. When the vulnerable openssl_encrypt library processes this file, it accepts any password the application supplies, outputs attacker-chosen plaintext, and returns a passing integrity verification status - causing the application to trust and act on fabricated decrypted content. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, but the zero-complexity, unauthenticated network attack surface means exploitation requires only knowledge of the file format, not special tooling. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 27, 2026
Authentication bypass in the jahlives openssl_encrypt library (versions before 1.4.9) permits remote attackers to craft files containing unencrypted post-quantum cryptography (PQC) private keys in file metadata that the library accepts and decrypts successfully under any supplied password. Because the library never validates whether embedded PQC keys are actually encrypted, an adversary controls the decrypted plaintext output entirely while the library simultaneously produces a false positive integrity verification signal. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog, though the CVSS 4.0 score of 8.7 with a network-reachable, unauthenticated, zero-complexity attack surface makes patching urgent for any deployment processing untrusted encrypted files.
RemediationAI
Upgrade openssl_encrypt to version 1.4.9 or later, which is the first release to properly validate the encryption status of embedded PQC private keys in file metadata. The vendor advisory at https://github.com/jahlives/openssl_encrypt/security/advisories/GHSA-qqfq-g2cv-j7v3 should be consulted for upgrade instructions. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict the attack surface by ensuring only trusted, internally-generated files are accepted as input to any code path invoking the library's decryption functions - reject any externally supplied encrypted files at the application boundary until the patch is applied. A secondary compensating control is to independently verify integrity of encrypted files using a separate, out-of-band mechanism (e.g., detached signatures or HMAC) before passing them to openssl_encrypt; this adds latency and operational complexity but removes reliance on the library's broken internal integrity check. No patch version other than 1.4.9 was confirmed in the source data; do not apply partial version bumps without consulting the advisory.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in pypi
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The affected component is the openssl_encrypt library authored by jahlives (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:jahlives:openssl_encrypt:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*), a file-encryption tool that incorporates post-quantum cryptography (PQC) key material embedded within file metadata fields. The root cause is classified as CWE-287 (Improper Authentication): the library reads PQC private key material from file metadata but never asserts that the key itself is in an encrypted state before proceeding with decryption. A well-formed but maliciously constructed file can carry an unencrypted PQC key in the location where an encrypted key is expected; the library treats any key it finds as valid, allowing the decryption routine to proceed and to return attacker-supplied bytes as if they were the authentic decrypted payload. The false integrity verification result indicates the library's authentication check is also gated on the same unvalidated key path, so both the confidentiality and authentication guarantees of the encryption scheme are simultaneously voided.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Network-delivered crafted file, no auth or interaction needed; only confidentiality is impacted as the attacker controls plaintext output.
Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).
CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.9 fail to validate encryption status of embedded post-quantum private keys in file metadata. Attackers can craft files with unencrypted embedded PQC keys that decrypt under any password, bypassing authentication and producing attacker-chosen plaintext with false integrity verification.
Executive ViewAI
The jahlives openssl_encrypt library (versions before 1.4.9) contains an authentication bypass that allows unencrypted private keys embedded in file metadata to be accepted and decrypted under any password while producing a false integrity verification signal. Organizations using this library to process encrypted files containing cryptographic keys face immediate risk of key compromise and unauthorized access to encrypted systems.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: implement cryptographic key encryption validation before file acceptance; reject files with unencrypted embedded private keys; restrict file sources to trusted, verified origins; isolate key processing operations in sandboxed environments; conduct forensic review of any files processed since deployment to identify potential key compromise.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
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EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB