CVE-2026-8721 | Crypt::OpenSSL::PKCS12 versions through 1.94 for Perl truncates passwords with embedded NULLs

Crypt::OpenSSL::PKCS12 versions through 1.94 for Perl truncates passwords with embedded NULLs. Password parameters in PKCS12.xs are declared char *, which routes through Perl's default typemap to SvPV_nolen. The Perl length is discarded. The C code (or OpenSSL internally) calls strlen() on the buffer. Any password byte at or after the first NULL is silently dropped. Binary / KDF-derived / HMAC-derived passwords lose entropy without any warnings.

Published: 2026-05-17 Last update: 2026-05-18 Assigner: 9b29abf9-4ab0-4765-b253-1875cd9b441e Source: 9b29abf9-4ab0-4765-b253-1875cd9b441e
NVD Status：Deferred，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2026-8721 is rated Moderate Risk (52/100): CVSS Critical severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.45%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2026-8721

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.01% 0.45% +0.44%
2 2026-05-18 — 0.01% —

Full EPSS history (2 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2026-8721

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
9.8 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 3.9 5.9 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2026-8721

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2026-8721

GHSA-hh8h-hxcj-2pm7 · Severity: critical — Crypt::OpenSSL::PKCS12 versions through 1.94 for Perl truncates passwords with embedded NULLs. ...

OS Trackers for CVE-2026-8721

vendor priority summary link
debian not yet assigned CVE-2026-8721 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (libcrypt-openssl-pkcs12-perl), 4 status rows across 4 suites (bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): open 2, resolved 2. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-8721
ubuntu medium CVE-2026-8721 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (libcrypt-openssl-pkcs12-perl), 7 status rows across 7 suites (bionic, focal, jammy, noble, questing, resolute, upstream): needs-triage 5, DNE 1, released 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-8721

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2026-8721

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
No affected products in dataset.

References for CVE-2026-8721

cvelogic Threat Intelligence