Security Vulnerabilities
nltk PorterStemmer in versions <= 3.10.2 (fixed in 3.10.3) contains an inefficient-algorithmic-complexity denial of service in PorterStemmer.stem(). The _is_consonant() helper walks backward over the entire run of trailing 'y' characters on every call, and _measure() invokes it for each stem position, causing O(n^2) behavior. A single ~20-50 KB untrusted token consisting of a long run of the letter 'y' followed by a matching suffix (e.g., 'ness') can pin a CPU core for seconds to minutes, causing availability impact.
CVSS Score
8.7
EPSS Score
0.004
Published
2026-08-27
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.
CVSS Score
8.7
EPSS Score
0.003
Published
2026-08-27
openssl_encrypt before 1.4.9 fails to prevent namespace collisions between own identities and contacts in IdentityStore, allowing attackers to create shadowed contact entries invisible until the corresponding own identity is deleted. When the own identity is deleted, the shadowed contact becomes visible and resolves to the attacker's keys, enabling silent key substitution for encrypted files.
CVSS Score
9.3
EPSS Score
0.001
Published
2026-08-27
openssl_encrypt (pip: openssl-encrypt) versions <= 1.4.8 use suffix-tolerant fingerprint matching in enroll_trust_key when binding a plugin-signing trust anchor. An operator who confirms a short (forgeable, ~32-bit) GPG key id could unknowingly enroll an attacker's colliding key as a trusted anchor, which then vouches for malicious plugins under the ENFORCE signature policy. Version 1.4.9 fixes this by requiring the confirmed value to exactly match the full primary-key fingerprint (case-insensitive, whitespace-stripped).
CVSS Score
9.3
EPSS Score
0.001
Published
2026-08-27
openssl_encrypt (pip package openssl-encrypt) versions <= 1.4.8 do not redact the keyserver bearer token passed as the positional argument to 'keyserver set-token' in the --debug argv dump, because sanitize_argv_for_debug fails to sanitize it. As a result the token is printed in cleartext to stderr under --debug (even without --unsafe-show-secrets), persisting the credential in logs and terminal history. Fixed in 1.4.9.
CVSS Score
8.7
EPSS Score
0.002
Published
2026-08-27
openssl_encrypt (pip: openssl-encrypt) versions before 1.4.9 contain a path traversal flaw in PluginSandbox._is_safe_path, which authorized file access using a bare string-prefix match. A sandboxed plugin without the READ_FILES permission could read or write another plugin's directory that merely shares a name prefix (e.g., .../plugins/foobar matching allowed .../plugins/foo), breaking per-plugin isolation within the same user. Fixed by matching each allowed directory exactly or with a trailing path separator.
CVSS Score
8.7
EPSS Score
0.002
Published
2026-08-27
openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.9 contain a shell injection vulnerability in the info command's reconstructed CLI block that interpolates untrusted metadata fields without quoting. Attackers can craft metadata values like pepper_name containing shell commands that execute when users copy the printed CLI block into a shell.
CVSS Score
9.3
EPSS Score
0.003
Published
2026-08-27
openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.9 fail to properly validate key derivation function costs in crafted files, allowing attackers to trigger unbounded memory and CPU exhaustion during pre-authentication processing. Attackers can supply malicious files with excessive KDF parameters to exhaust system resources and crash or wedge the process before password verification occurs.
CVSS Score
8.7
EPSS Score
0.004
Published
2026-08-27
openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.9 contain a signature verification vulnerability in gpg_runner.verify_detached that accepts revoked and expired keys by only checking VALIDSIG status without inspecting REVKEYSIG, EXPKEYSIG, or gpg exit codes. Attackers holding compromised-then-revoked signing keys or expired project keys can bypass signature verification to execute malicious plugins in the host process.
CVSS Score
9.3
EPSS Score
0.002
Published
2026-08-27
openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.9 use a denylist to identify trusted built-in plugins, allowing unsigned plugins in top-level plugins/ directories and unknown subdirectories to bypass signature verification. Attackers can place malicious unsigned plugins following documented installation paths to achieve arbitrary code execution in the CLI process with access to passwords and cryptographic keys.
CVSS Score
9.3
EPSS Score
0.003
Published
2026-08-27