Description
openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.9 derive the remote-pepper wrap key using unsalted HKDF-SHA256 or bare SHA-256 of the password, allowing identical keys across all users and files. Attackers with access to wrapped pepper blobs can precompute a single dictionary table and perform fleet-wide offline password guessing at hardware speed to recover user passwords.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| jahlives | openssl_encrypt | < 1.4.9 | 1.4.9 |
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PyPI | openssl-encrypt | < 1.4.9 | 1.4.9 | PYSEC-2026-3959 |
References
- GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-3v63-778v-3mvp) vendor-advisory
- VulnCheck Advisory: openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 Weak Pepper Key Derivation third-party-advisory