CVE-2026-81681
Low
No strong exploitation signal.
CVSS base
4.6
MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
EPSS — probability of exploitation (30 days)
0.1%
3.1th percentile
CISA KEV
Not listed
Weakness / dates
CWE-311
Published 2026-08-27 · modified 2026-09-02
CVSS breakdown
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
| Attack Vector | P | Physical |
| Attack Complexity | L | Low |
| Privileges Required | N | None |
| User Interaction | N | None |
| Scope | U | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | H | High |
| Integrity | N | None |
| Availability | N | None |
Timeline
- 2026-08-27 — Published (NVD)
- 2026-09-02 — Last modified (NVD)
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.