NVD / CVE Program· CNA VulnCheck

CVE-2026-81700: openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 GPG Signature Verification Bypass

CriticalCVSS 9.3 · v4.0—No exploit Fix available

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 37/100)

The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.35% (FIRST EPSS).
Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
Fixed version: jahlives openssl_encrypt 1.4.9.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to jahlives openssl_encrypt 1.4.9 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.9 contain a signature verification vulnerability in gpg_runner.verify_detached that accepts revoked and expired keys by only checking VALIDSIG status without inspecting REVKEYSIG, EXPKEYSIG, or gpg exit codes. Attackers holding compromised-then-revoked signing keys or expired project keys can bypass signature verification to execute malicious plugins in the host process.

Published: Aug 27, 2026
Updated: Oct 1, 2026
EPSS: 0.3% · 29th percentile
CWE: CWE-347

Report tools

JSON

Action score

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS: 37 / 40 · 9.3 / 10
CISA KEV: 0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS: 0 / 30 · 0.3%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation: none
Automatable: yes
Technical impact: total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD: —
CNA · VulnCheck: 9.3; NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
No public exploit code on record
A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Is your version affected? Check it

Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

Vendor	Product	CPE
jahlives	openssl encrypt	cpe:2.3:a:jahlives:openssl_encrypt

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (VulnCheck). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

jahlives openssl_encrypt
- 1.4.9not affected
- before 1.4.9affected · semver

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

jahlives openssl encryptbefore 1.4.9

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

Ecosystem	Package	Affected range	Fix
PyPI	openssl-encrypt	before 1.4.9	1.4.9

Same product

jahlives: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

CVE-2026-81719openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 Remote Code Execution via Plugin
37Monitor
CVE-2026-81717openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 Integrity Bypass via Added Files
37Monitor
CVE-2026-81714openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 Plugin Signing Trust Anchor Enrollment Bypass
37Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

← EarlierCVE-2026-81698Aug 27, 2026 · openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 Shell Injection via info command
37Monitor
← EarlierCVE-2026-81699Aug 27, 2026 · openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 Denial of Service via unbounded KDF cost
34Monitor
Later →CVE-2026-81701Aug 27, 2026 · openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 Arbitrary Code Execution via unsigned plugin
37Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / package	Fixed version	Source
jahlives openssl_encrypt	1.4.9	Vendor (CNA)
PyPI:openssl-encrypt	1.4.9	Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

CVE-2026-816800 days apartopenssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 Authentication Bypass via Recovery Slot Removal
37Monitor
CVE-2026-817010 days apartopenssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 Arbitrary Code Execution via unsigned plugin
37Monitor
CVE-2026-817140 days apartopenssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 Plugin Signing Trust Anchor Enrollment Bypass
37Monitor
CVE-2026-817170 days apartopenssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 Integrity Bypass via Added Files
37Monitor
CVE-2026-7487610 days apartopenssl_encrypt before 1.4.0 Unverified Key Bundle Encryption
37Monitor
CVE-2026-7490110 days apartopenssl_encrypt before 1.4.0 Authentication Bypass via AES-CTR Fallback
37Monitor

Not on record for this CVE: patch commit or PR link · researcher credit · public bounty program.

Technical details

Attack conditions

Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
No account or password is required.
No user action is required.
No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability

Attack vector: Network
Attack complexity: Low
Privileges required: None
User interaction: None
Scope: X

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-347 · Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature

CVSS vector

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

nvd-secondary

Root cause

The verifier takes the algorithm to verify with from the token’s own header. Untrusted data ends up deciding its own verification rule.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-347 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

1const claims = jwt.verify(token, publicKey);

Fixed

1const claims = jwt.verify(token, publicKey, {
2  algorithms: ["RS256"],
3  issuer: "https://id.example.com",
4  audience: "portal",
5});

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Attack patterns (CAPEC)

ATT&CK techniques

—

Change log (1)

Fix✗ → ✓Sep 28, 2026, 10:09 PM UTC

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

github.com/jahlives/openssl_encrypt/security/advisories/GHSA-x38r-8wf3-q9hq

Show all references (1 more)

www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openssl-encrypt-before-1.4.9-gpg-signature-verification-bypass

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records