Resource exhaustion in Jahlives OpenSSL Encrypt
CVE-2026-81699
openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.9 fail to properly validate key derivation function costs in crafted files, allowing attackers to trigger unbounded memory and CPU exhaustion during pre-authentication processing. Attackers can supply malicious files with excessive KDF parameters to exhaust system resources and crash or wedge the process before password verification occurs.
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.5 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.005 (41.3th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 41st percentile — 41.3% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.004 · newest: 0.005 · change: +0.002
Affected products
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-phmr-p567-q5g6) (vendor-advisory, Vendor Advisory)
- VulnCheck Advisory: openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 Denial of Service via unbounded KDF cost (Third Party Advisory, third-party-advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-81699?
- CVE-2026-81699 is a high-severity vulnerability in Jahlives OpenSSL Encrypt, classified under Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2026-08-27.
- How severe is CVE-2026-81699?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.