CVE-2026-81696

Q: How do I fix CVE-2026-81696?

Upgrade openssl encrypt to 1.4.9 or later.

Q: Is CVE-2026-81696 being actively exploited?

Not that we know of. CVE-2026-81696 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 0.18% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 7% of all scored CVEs.

Q: How severe is CVE-2026-81696?

CVE-2026-81696 has a CVSS v3 base score of 3.3, rated low. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.

Q: What does CVE-2026-81696 affect?

Published advisories record a fix for openssl encrypt (NVD). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.

LOW

3.3

CVSS v3

NVD

Description

openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.9 fail to sanitize terminal control characters in file metadata printed by the info command. Attackers can craft malicious files containing escape sequences to repaint terminal output and forge verification information displayed to users.

CWE-117

How to fix

Remediation Available

openssl encryptNVD

Affected:< 1.4.9Fixed in:1.4.9CVE-2026-81696derived from NVD

TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works

Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.

CVSS v3 Vector

Exploitability

Attack VectorLocal

Attack ComplexityLow

Privileges RequiredNone

User InteractionRequired

ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityNone

IntegrityLow

AvailabilityNone

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

Exploit Intelligence

0.18%probability of exploitation in 30 days

7thpercentile

Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 7% of all known CVEs.

References

Vendor Advisory1

github.com

Third-Party Advisory1

vulncheck.com

Related Vulnerabilities

Other CWE-117 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all

CVE	Severity	CVSS	EPSS	Exploited	Fix
CVE-2021-43410	Medium	5.3	2.4%	-	Fix
CVE-2022-32549	Medium	5.3	2.4%	-	-
CVE-2019-14864	Medium	6.5	1.9%	-	Fix
CVE-2021-42250	Medium	6.5	1.8%	-	Fix
CVE-2024-47083	High	7.5	1.6%	-	-
CVE-2020-25646	High	7.5	1.4%	-	-

Common questions

How do I fix CVE-2026-81696?

Upgrade openssl encrypt to 1.4.9 or later.

Is CVE-2026-81696 being actively exploited?

Not that we know of. CVE-2026-81696 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 0.18% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 7% of all scored CVEs.

How severe is CVE-2026-81696?

CVE-2026-81696 has a CVSS v3 base score of 3.3, rated low. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.

What does CVE-2026-81696 affect?

Published advisories record a fix for openssl encrypt (NVD). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.

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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-09-01.