# openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.9 fail to authenticate recovery-slot presence in envelope-format encrypted files, allowing attackers to remove recovery slots without re-encrypting the payload. ...

Advisory record · `GHSA-grhj-cpmg-f5mx`

- **Identifiers:** `GHSA-grhj-cpmg-f5mx` · `CVE-2026-81680` · `PYSEC-2026-3957`
- **State:** Confirmed
- **Severity:** CVSS 9.3 Critical
- **Critical:** Yes: CVSS 9+
- **Weakness (CWE):** [CWE-347](https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/347.html)
- **Tags:** [Weak cryptography or TLS](https://agentprime.io/advisories/tag/weak-crypto.md)
- **Published:** 27 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 10 Sept 2026
- **Reviewed by a person:** No

Published by the GitHub Advisory Database at 27 Aug 2026, 17:20 UTC. agentprime has not analysed this yet, so whether it affects any app is not known.

## Critical

Critical, because:

- CVSS score 9.3: 9.0 or more.

How we decide what’s critical: <https://agentprime.io/advisories/critical.md>

## Affected packages

- `openssl-encrypt` (PyPI): affected `<1.4.9`; fixed in `1.4.9`

## Machine-written summary

Summary written by Claude Haiku from the source advisory. Not reviewed by a person.

> openssl-encrypt versions before 1.4.9 do not authenticate whether recovery slots are present in envelope-format encrypted files. An attacker who can modify an encrypted file can remove the recovery-slot fields from its header without re-encrypting the payload, silently deleting recovery paths the owner added. Upgrade openssl-encrypt to version 1.4.9 or later.

Written 1 Nov 2026.

## Not analysed yet

We haven’t published our analysis of this Advisory yet. Once a person has reviewed it, this page will say what’s vulnerable, what has to be true for your app to be affected, and how to check.

## Severity and exploitation

- 9.3 Critical, CVSS 4.0: `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`, from CNA (VulnCheck)

- **CISA KEV:** Not listed.
- **EPSS:** 0.0020, the 10th percentile, on 9 Nov 2026: FIRST’s estimate of the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

## Timeline

- 31 Oct 2026, 14:10 UTC: First seen by agentprime
- 31 Oct 2026, 14:10 UTC: [Confirmed by OSV](https://osv.dev/vulnerability/PYSEC-2026-3957)

## Sources

- [GitHub Advisory Database: GHSA-grhj-cpmg-f5mx](https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-grhj-cpmg-f5mx)
- [OSV: GHSA-grhj-cpmg-f5mx](https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-grhj-cpmg-f5mx)
- <https://github.com/jahlives/openssl_encrypt/security/advisories/GHSA-grhj-cpmg-f5mx>
- <https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openssl-encrypt-before-1.4.9-authentication-bypass-via-recovery-slot-removal>

Facts on this page come from the GitHub Advisory Database (CC-BY 4.0), OSV and the other sources listed, as published. We don’t reproduce full advisory descriptions, which can contain exploit code.

## Check whether this affects you

A Match means an installed version is in the affected range above. Most don’t affect the app; agentprime hasn’t analysed this one yet.

- With the agentprime MCP server (<https://api.agentprime.io/mcp>), ask your agent to check the project: `check_lockfile` sends a lockfile, `check_packages` a list of installed packages, and both return the Matches and the upgrades that clear them. `get_advisory` returns this record. Setup: <https://agentprime.io/mcp.md>
- In a browser: <https://agentprime.io/check/> reads your lockfile in the browser, never uploading it.
- Whether it touches your code, with file and line: the Claude Code plugin, <https://agentprime.io/plugin.md>
- As JSON: <https://api.agentprime.io/v1/advisories/GHSA-grhj-cpmg-f5mx>, or `POST https://api.agentprime.io/v1/match` with your packages (<https://agentprime.io/api.md>)

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The web page: <https://agentprime.io/advisories/GHSA-grhj-cpmg-f5mx/>. Everything for agents: <https://agentprime.io/llms.txt>.