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openssl-encrypt EUVDEUVD-2026-67066

| CVE-2026-81716 HIGH
Path Traversal (CWE-22)
2026-08-27 VulnCheck GHSA-7qxw-7jv4-3qr8
8.7
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Gain plugin installation access
  2. Delivery
    Deploy malicious plugin with prefix-matching directory name
  3. Exploit
    Craft file path into sibling plugin directory
  4. Execution
    PluginSandbox._is_safe_path approves path via bare prefix match
  5. Impact
    Read or overwrite target plugin files

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Path canonicalization, traversal prevention
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Discovery, Collection

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires all of the following to be true simultaneously: the target system runs openssl-encrypt in a version before 1.4.9 with the plugin sandbox active; the attacker controls or can install a sandboxed plugin within the system; and a co-located plugin exists whose directory name begins with the attacker-controlled plugin's directory name as a literal string prefix (e.g., attacker in .../plugins/foo, target in .../plugins/foobar). Without a sibling plugin sharing a name prefix, no path confusion occurs and exploitation is not possible. The attacking plugin does not require READ_FILES permission - the flaw exists precisely because the permission check is bypassed via the prefix match. Exploitation is limited to the same-user plugin isolation boundary and does not appear to extend to cross-user or OS-level privilege escalation. The CVSS 4.0 vector's AV:N and PR:N ratings are inconsistent with these prerequisites; defenders should treat this as requiring at minimum plugin-installation access in a multi-plugin deployment.

Impact

The supplied CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N, score 8.7) implies remote unauthenticated exploitation, but this conflicts materially with the description, which situates the attacker as a sandboxed plugin already operating within the application - not an anonymous network adversary. The PR:N rating appears incorrect given that the attacker must have a plugin installed and executing inside the system; this discrepancy should be verified against the vendor advisory at GHSA-vr4h-5xqv-xxxf before using the published score for prioritization. No EPSS data was provided and there is no CISA KEV listing, leaving exploitation probability unquantified from public signals. Real-world impact is tightly bounded by deployment model: only environments that load plugins from multiple distinct, mutually distrusting sources - such as a platform accepting user-submitted plugins - face meaningful cross-plugin data leakage risk. Deployments running only internally developed or single-author plugins face negligible practical exposure despite the high numeric score.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who controls a sandboxed plugin named 'foo' - without READ_FILES permission - constructs file paths targeting the co-located plugin directory 'foobar'. Because _is_safe_path treats 'foo' as an authorized prefix for 'foobar', the malicious plugin reads sensitive configuration data or overwrites files belonging to the 'foobar' plugin, breaking inter-plugin isolation within the same user context. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 27, 2026

Path traversal in the openssl-encrypt pip package (versions before 1.4.9) enables a sandboxed plugin to escape its intended isolation and access or modify a sibling plugin's files when the two plugin directories share a name prefix. The flaw in PluginSandbox._is_safe_path performs a bare string-prefix match rather than an exact directory boundary comparison, so a plugin allowed under .../plugins/foo incorrectly passes the safety check for .../plugins/foobar. Vendor-released patch version 1.4.9 corrects the flaw; no public exploit code has been identified and the package is absent from the CISA KEV catalog.

RemediationAI

Upgrade openssl-encrypt to version 1.4.9 or later, which fixes PluginSandbox._is_safe_path to require exact directory match or a trailing path separator before approving access. Consult the vendor advisory at https://github.com/jahlives/openssl_encrypt/security/advisories/GHSA-vr4h-5xqv-xxxf for release details. If immediate upgrade is not possible, segregate plugins with overlapping name prefixes into separate isolated instances to prevent prefix collision; this eliminates the cross-plugin path confusion without requiring a code change, though it adds operational complexity. Disabling the plugin subsystem entirely removes the attack surface if plugin functionality is not required. Avoid loading plugins from untrusted or third-party sources until patched.

Affected VersionsENISA

openssl_encrypt 0 <1.4.9

Affected Packages

pypi openssl-encrypt fix: 1.4.9

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 package is the openssl-encrypt pip library published by 'jahlives' (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:jahlives:openssl_encrypt:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) - an application-level encryption and plugin-management library entirely distinct from the widely-deployed OpenSSL cryptographic library despite the similar name. The library implements a plugin sandbox with granular permission controls, including a READ_FILES gate. The root cause is CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory): PluginSandbox._is_safe_path validates requested file paths using a bare string prefix check (semantically equivalent to path.startswith(allowed_dir)) rather than appending a trailing path separator before comparison. This classic boundary-check failure means any directory whose name is a string prefix of a sibling directory name (e.g., plugins/foo authorizing access to plugins/foobar) incorrectly passes validation, breaking per-plugin file-system isolation. Version 1.4.9 corrects this by requiring exact-match or trailing-separator-match comparisons.

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Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY 8.7 HIGH
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
vuln.today AI 8.4 HIGH

Attacker must have a plugin installed and running locally (AV:L, PR:L); scope changes across plugin boundaries with full read/write impact on the target plugin.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
High
Vulnerable system: Integrity
None
Vulnerable system: Availability
None
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Aug 27, 2026 - 18:02 EUVD
CVE Published
Aug 27, 2026 - 14:51 cve.org
HIGH 8.7

DescriptionCVE.org

openssl_encrypt (pip: openssl-encrypt) versions before 1.4.9 contain a path traversal flaw in PluginSandbox._is_safe_path, which authorized file access using a bare string-prefix match. A sandboxed plugin without the READ_FILES permission could read or write another plugin's directory that merely shares a name prefix (e.g., .../plugins/foobar matching allowed .../plugins/foo), breaking per-plugin isolation within the same user. Fixed by matching each allowed directory exactly or with a trailing path separator.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

The openssl-encrypt Python package (versions before 1.4.9) contains a path traversal vulnerability enabling untrusted plugins to escape sandbox isolation and access or modify other plugins' files. Organizations using this package for plugin management face risk of unauthorized data access and code integrity compromise.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch: upgrade to openssl-encrypt version 1.4.9 or later.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 91% exploitable
Prevalence
Rare
obscure pip package by single author, unrelated to mainstream OpenSSL
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

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.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

44
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +44
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Path traversal exploits occur when applications use user-controlled input to construct file system paths without proper validation.

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