CVE-2026-74888 PUBLISHED

openssl_encrypt before 1.4.0 Non-Standard PBKDF2 Key Derivation

Assigner: VulnCheck
Reserved: 17.08.2026 Published: 17.08.2026 Updated: 17.08.2026

openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.0 use a non-standard PBKDF2 key derivation construction with iterations=1 per call in an outer loop, creating a KDF whose security properties have not been formally analyzed. Attackers can exploit this weakened key derivation to more efficiently crack passwords protecting legacy encrypted files compared to standard PBKDF2 implementations.

CVSS Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
CVSS Score: 8.7

Exploitability Metrics		Vulnerable System Impact Metrics		Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Attack Vector	Network	Confidentiality	High	Confidentiality	None
Attack Complexity	Low	Integrity	None	Integrity	None
Attack Requirements	None	Availability	None	Availability	None
Privileges Required	None
User Interaction	None

CVSS 4.0

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
CVSS Score: 7.5

Attack Vector	Network	Scope	Unchanged
Attack Complexity	Low	Confidentiality Impact	High
Privileges Required	None	Integrity Impact	None
User Interaction	None	Availability Impact	None

CVSS 3.1

Product Status

Vendor	jahlives
Product	openssl_encrypt
Versions	Default: unaffected affected from 0 to 1.4.0 (excl.) Version 1.4.0 is unaffected

References

Problem Types

Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm CWE