CVE-2026-81721

Summary

openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 fails to validate KDF cost parameters in encrypted file metadata and keystore headers, allowing attackers to trigger unbounded memory allocation. Attackers can craft malicious encrypted files declaring arbitrarily large Argon2, scrypt, or balloon KDF parameters to exhaust system memory and crash the process without authentication.

Affected Software

VendorProductVersion RangeStatus
jahlivesopenssl_encrypt0 < 1.4.9affected
jahlivesopenssl_encrypt1.4.9unaffected

Weaknesses

  • CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption

ADP Enrichment

CISA ADP Vulnrichment

  • SSVC:
  • Exploitation: none
    • Automatable: yes
    • Technical Impact: partial

References