CVE-2026-81689: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-xg65-9m9r-rm73
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-916
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-81689 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-916: Use of Password Hash With Insufficient Computational Effort) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product generates a hash for a password, but it uses a scheme that does not provide a sufficient level of computational effort that would make password cracking attacks infeasible or expensive.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-81689 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-81689
GHSA Identifier GHSA-xg65-9m9r-rm73
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-916: Use of Password Hash With Insufficient Computational Effort
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2026-81689

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-81689, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-916: Use of Password Hash With Insufficient Computational Effort, where the product generates a hash for a password, but it uses a scheme that does not provide a sufficient level of computational effort that would make password cracking attacks infeasible or expensive. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.9 derive the remote-pepper wrap key using unsalted HKDF-SHA256 or bare SHA-256 of the password, allowing identical keys across all users and files. Attackers with access to wrapped pepper blobs can precompute a single dictionary table and perform fleet-wide offline password guessing at hardware speed to recover user passwords.

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/jahlives/openssl_encrypt/security/advisories/GHSA-3v63-778v-3mvp
NVD — CVE-2026-81689 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-81689
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openssl-... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openssl-encrypt-before-1.4.9-weak-pepper-key-derivation

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-81689?
CVE-2026-81689 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-916: Use of Password Hash With Insufficient Computational Effort.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-81689?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-81689?
CVE-2026-81689 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-81689?
CVE-2026-81689 is classified under CWE-916: Use of Password Hash With Insufficient Computational Effort (The product generates a hash for a password, but it uses a scheme that does not provide a sufficient level of computational effort that would make password cracking attacks infeasible or expensive.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-81689?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-xg65-9m9r-rm73",
  "modified" : "2026-08-27T18:32:28Z",
  "published" : "2026-08-27T18:32:28Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-81689" ],
  "details" : "openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.9 derive the remote-pepper wrap key using unsalted HKDF-SHA256 or bare SHA-256 of the password, allowing identical keys across all users and files. Attackers with access to wrapped pepper blobs can precompute a single dictionary table and perform fleet-wide offline password guessing at hardware speed to recover user passwords.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "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/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jahlives/openssl_encrypt/security/advisories/GHSA-3v63-778v-3mvp"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-81689"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openssl-encrypt-before-1.4.9-weak-pepper-key-derivation"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-916" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-08-27T17:20:58Z"
  }
}