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openssl-encrypt has visible password in process list via --password CLI argumentGHSA-h3m5-p59h-x88p

Fix: jahlives/openssl_encrypt@e78a366

GHSA-h3m5-p59h-x88p is a CWE-214 vulnerability in openssl-encrypt. A fix is available for openssl-encrypt — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Also known asCVE-2026-74873PYSEC-2026-3753
Published
Updated
Affected
1 pkg
Patched
1 / 1
Exploits
None indexed
Exploitation data as of Oct 6, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

No confirmed exploitation observed yet

  • CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
  • CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-h3m5-p59h-x88p.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗
0.3%probability of exploitation in next 30 days
Lower Risk0.00%
Lower risk than most CVEs22th percentile — riskier than 22% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected
🐍openssl-encrypt

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

Summary

Passwords passed via the --password / -p CLI argument in openssl_encrypt/modules/crypt_cli_subparser.py at lines 150-154 are visible to any user on the system via ps aux or /proc/[pid]/cmdline.

Affected Code

subparser.add_argument(
    "--password", "-p",
    help="Password (will prompt if not provided, or use CRYPT_PASSWORD environment variable)",
)

Similarly, --keystore-password exposes the keystore password.

Impact

On multi-user systems, any user can observe the encryption password by listing processes. The CRYPT_PASSWORD environment variable alternative is also visible via /proc/[pid]/environ (though with slightly restricted access).

Recommended Fix

  • Document the security implications prominently
  • Recommend interactive prompting (already supported) as the secure default
  • Consider supporting password file descriptors (--password-fd) or reading from stdin
  • Consider marking the argument as deprecated in favor of interactive prompting

Fix

Fixed in commit e78a366 on branch releases/1.4.x — added --password-file and --password-fd arguments; added OPENSSL_ENCRYPT_PASSWORD env var support; --password now emits deprecation warning.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed
EcosystemPackageVulnerable rangeFix
🐍PyPIopenssl-encryptall versions1.4.0pip install --upgrade 'openssl-encrypt==1.4.0'

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations
Application
openssl encryptjahlives
< 1.4.0
range

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency
  1. Detect

    Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for openssl-encrypt, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

  2. Fix

    Update openssl-encrypt to 1.4.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-h3m5-p59h-x88p is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

  3. Workarounds

    If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

Frequently Asked Questions

### Summary Passwords passed via the `--password` / `-p` CLI argument in `openssl_encrypt/modules/crypt_cli_subparser.py` at **lines 150-154** are visible to any user on the system via `ps aux` or `/proc/[pid]/cmdline`. ### Affected Code ```python subparser.add_argument( "--password", "-p", help="Password (will prompt if not provided, or use CRYPT_PASSWORD environment variable)", ) ``` Similarly, `--keystore-password` exposes the keystore password. ### Impact On multi-user systems, any user can observe the encryption password by listing processes. The `CRYPT_PASSWORD` environment
O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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