CVE-2026-81681
Received
Received - Intake
Encrypted USB Workspace Cleartext Storage in openssl-encrypt
Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-81681, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.
Publication date: 2026-08-27
Last updated on: 2026-08-27
Assigner: VulnCheck
Description
Description
openssl_encrypt (pip package openssl-encrypt) versions <= 1.4.8 advertise a portable USB workspace as an 'Encrypted USB Workspace' with AES-256-GCM encryption and write a marker declaring the workspace encrypted, but the workspace directory is actually stored in cleartext and the derived encryption key is never applied to it. A user who trusts the branding and places files in the workspace leaves them unencrypted on the removable media, so an attacker with physical access to the media can read the sensitive files. Fixed in 1.4.9, which seals the workspace into an authenticated AES-256-GCM vault.
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
| Probability: | |
| Percentile: |
Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| openssl | openssl_encrypt | to 1.4.8 (inc) |
| openssl | openssl_encrypt | 1.4.9 |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
KEV
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-311 | The product does not encrypt sensitive or critical information before storage or transmission. |
