Password recovery via under-parameterized PBKDF2
Published Aug 27, 2026 · Updated Aug 27, 2026
Weak key derivation in jahlives OpenSSL Encrypt before 1.4.9 allows attackers to recover wrapping passwords from obtained files. The PQC keyfile path applies 100,000 PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 iterations, while pqc_dual_encrypt_verify stores a 10,000-iteration verifier in cleartext metadata. Exploitation requires a copy of an affected keyfile or encrypted file and exposes the protected private key or plaintext through offline cracking.
Summary
What happened
Weak key derivation in jahlives OpenSSL Encrypt before 1.4.9 allows attackers to recover wrapping passwords from obtained files. The PQC keyfile path applies 100,000 PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 iterations, while pqc_dual_encrypt_verify stores a 10,000-iteration verifier in cleartext metadata. Exploitation requires a copy of an affected keyfile or encrypted file and exposes the protected private key or plaintext through offline cracking.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-81718
- Published
- Aug 27, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 27, 2026
- Vendor
- jahlives
- Product
- OpenSSL Encrypt
- Classifications
- CWE-326, T1110.002
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 27, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 27, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <1.4.9
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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