CVE-2026-81705
HIGHDescription
openssl-encrypt before 1.4.9 fails to redact the file password in its --debug argv dump when the password is supplied via bundled short-option spellings (e.g. -apHunter2) or abbreviated long-option spellings (e.g. --passw). The sanitizer only recognized exact option names, --option=value forms, and tokens starting with -p, so these spellings bypass the redaction chokepoint and the cleartext password is written to stderr. Anyone with access to that output (terminal scrollback, merged 2>&1 output, CI job logs, or the GUI's persistent debug log) can recover the password.
How to fix
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
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 25% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-532 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2019-1622 | Medium | 5.3 | 79% | - | - |
| CVE-2020-35234 | High | 7.5 | 65% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2023-43261 | High | 7.5 | 60% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2024-20440 | High | 7.5 | 52% | - | - |
| CVE-2018-3609 | High | 8.1 | 21% | - | - |
| CVE-2018-8719 | Medium | 5.3 | 16% | - | - |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2026-81705?
Upgrade openssl encrypt to 1.4.9 or later.
Is CVE-2026-81705 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2026-81705 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 0.32% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 25% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2026-81705?
CVE-2026-81705 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.5, rated high. 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-2026-81705 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.