Live Exposure Defense: From CVE to Confirmed Exposure in 12 Hours – See more

Back
New CVE Detected

CVE-2026-74892 – Hardcoded Secret Key Enabling API Authentication Bypass – jahlives openssl_encrypt

Be the first to know when new zero-days emerge:

Subscribe to Email Alerts
Subscribe to RSS Feed

Summary

CVE-2026-74892 is a Use of Hard-coded Credentials vulnerability (CWE-798) affecting the openssl_encrypt package published by jahlives (available on PyPI as openssl_encrypt/openssl-encrypt). The standalone telemetry server component ships with a hardcoded default secret key that is used for API key hashing, meaning any party who knows this fixed value can predict or forge valid API key hashes and bypass telemetry API authentication. The flaw is remotely exploitable over the network with no privileges or user interaction required and carries a HIGH severity rating.

Technical details

  • Root cause: The telemetry server’s configuration embeds a static, hardcoded default secret key that is used to compute/verify hashes of API keys, rather than requiring a unique, securely generated secret per deployment.
  • Trigger conditions: Any deployment of the openssl_encrypt standalone telemetry server that has not overridden the default secret key remains exploitable; no special configuration is needed beyond running the affected component with default settings.
  • Attack vector: Network-based (AV:N) — an attacker with knowledge of the publicly known default key value can craft or predict valid API key hashes and submit them to the telemetry API, requiring no authentication, no user interaction, and low attack complexity.
  • Impact: Successful exploitation compromises the confidentiality of telemetry API authentication, allowing an attacker to impersonate legitimate API clients and authenticate to the telemetry service without possessing a genuine, provisioned API key.

Affected software

  • jahlives openssl_encrypt (PyPI package openssl_encrypt, pkg:pypi/openssl_encrypt) — all versions prior to 1.4.0
  • Fixed in version 1.4.0 and later

Severity

  • CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 7.5 (HIGH) — CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
  • CVSS v4.0 Base Score: 8.7 (HIGH) — 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
  • CWE-798: Use of Hard-coded Credentials

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Immediate: Upgrade openssl_encrypt to version 1.4.0 or later, where the hardcoded default secret key has been removed/replaced.
  • If immediate patching is not possible:
    • Explicitly configure a unique, securely generated secret key for the telemetry server rather than relying on any shipped default value.
    • Restrict network access to the telemetry server/API to trusted hosts (e.g., via firewall rules or network segmentation) to reduce exposure to unauthenticated network-based attackers.
    • Rotate any API keys and hashing secrets currently in use, and audit telemetry API access logs for signs of forged or unexpected authentication activity.
    • Where feasible, disable the standalone telemetry server component until it can be upgraded.

References

Are you exposed?

Get a free report of your organization’s exposure to this CVE and threat

  • Mapping of all Assets with this Technology
  • Identification of potentially exposed assets to this CVE
  • Confirmation of verified exploitable assets
Get Exposure Report

How IONIX’s External Exposure Management Platform Detects and Validates
Zero-Days to Shrink MTTR

1

Map your entire attack surface (continously)

IONIX uses multi-factor discovery methods, including DNS analysis, certificate mapping, metadata inspection, and more, to automatically map every internet-facing asset across your environment. This includes cloud instances, third-party platforms, shadow IT, and even forgotten infrastructure that traditional tools miss.

2

Monitor for new CVEs

Dozens of threat intel feeds using agentic technology are continuously analyzed to detect the appearance of proof-of-concept code, exploit kits, and indicators of active targeting. IONIX goes further by applying AI to proactively evaluate whether emerging vulnerabilities are likely to be exploited, even before PoCs go public.

3

Identify Potential External Exposures

Not all CVEs matter. IONIX filters vulnerabilities by asking attacker-centric questions: Can it be reached from the internet? Does it require authentication? Is it being exploited in the wild? This dramatically reduces noise and focuses teams on threats that can actually be weaponized.

4

Create Safe, Scalable Exploit Validations

IONIX transforms real-world PoCs into safe, non-intrusive test payloads that can be run in production environments without disruption. These simulations are precisely targeted to the systems that are vulnerable, ensuring rapid validation without unnecessary load.

5

Execute Exploit Validations

By combining context about software stack, versioning, exposure status, and reachability, IONIX ensures that only the right payloads are executed against the right assets, maximizing efficiency and minimizing risk.

6

Drive Fast and Actionable Remediation

Results are routed through integrations with ticketing, SOAR, and SIEM tools. Issues are written in plain language, bundled into remediation clusters, and prioritized based on asset criticality, exploitability, and blast radius. This shortens mean time to remediation (MTTR) and empowers teams to act with confidence.

Are you exposed?

Get a free report of your organization’s exposure to this CVE and threat

  • Mapping of all Assets with this Technology
  • Identification of potentially exposed assets to this CVE
  • Confirmation of verified exploitable assets
Get Exposure Report
Close

Subscribe to Threat Center RSS

Copy/paste the link below into your preferred RSS reader or follow these instructions to subscribe to Slack alerts.

Open RSS feedSlack setup instructions

Close

Get Real-Time CVE Alerts to Your Email

Be the first to know when new zero-days emerge