Is CVE-2026-81701 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-81701 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-2026-81701?

Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.8, published 27 August 2026.

Which products and versions are affected?

openssl-encrypt (PyPI) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=1.4.9.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-81701?

Yes. openssl-encrypt (PyPI): upgrade to 1.4.9 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

How is CVE-2026-81701 attacked?

It is attacked over the network.

Am I affected by CVE-2026-81701?

Check whether you run Jahlives Openssl Encrypt or openssl-encrypt (PyPI) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

CVE-2026-81701: openssl_encrypt signature verification bypass via denylist

CVE-2026-81701 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.8 · Published 2026-08-27

openssl_encrypt is a CLI tool for encryption and cryptographic key management. Versions before 1.4.9 use a flawed denylist to verify plugin signatures, allowing attackers to place unsigned malicious plugins in documented installation directories. When the tool runs (during list-plugins, encrypt, or decryption operations), it executes these malicious plugins with access to passwords, cryptographic keys, and plaintext data.

Technologies: Jahlives Openssl Encrypt, openssl-encrypt (PyPI). Vendors: Jahlives, PyPI.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-81701 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-81701 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-81701?: Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.8, published 27 August 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?: openssl-encrypt (PyPI) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=1.4.9.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-81701?: Yes. openssl-encrypt (PyPI): upgrade to 1.4.9 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-81701 attacked?: It is attacked over the network.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-81701?: Check whether you run Jahlives Openssl Encrypt or openssl-encrypt (PyPI) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

How to fix

openssl-encrypt (PyPI): upgrade to 1.4.9 or later
```
pip install "openssl-encrypt>=1.4.9"
```

Technical details

The vulnerability is an improper cryptographic signature verification (CWE-347) in the _is_builtin_plugin function. The function uses a denylist approach, treating all files under the plugins/ directory as trusted built-ins except three specific subdirectories (user, community, official). This allows top-level plugins/*.py files and any unknown subdirectories to bypass signature verification, AST scanning, and TOCTOU hash pinning. The documented plugin installation path (plugins/ top-level) inadvertently bypassed the signature enforcement policy. An attacker can place an unsigned malicious plugin in the plugins/ directory (or any new subdirectory) and achieve arbitrary code execution when the CLI process handles encryption/decryption operations or lists plugins. Fixed in version 1.4.9 by switching to an allowlist model that only trusts known shipped built-in plugins; all user and third-party plugins now undergo full verification gates.

Affected products

openssl_encrypt openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9

Identifiers

CVE-2026-81701
PYSEC-2026-3778

Timeline

2026-08-12: disclosed: GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-wxx9-p55f-wm34 published
2026-08-27: advisory: CVE-2026-81701 assigned and published on NVD
2026-08-27: patched: Patch released in version 1.4.9 with allowlist-based plugin verification

References

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