CVE-2026-74873 — openssl_encrypt before 1.4.0 Password Exposure via CLI Argument

Affected: jahlives openssl_encrypt

openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.0 expose passwords passed via the --password CLI argument in process listings accessible to all system users. Attackers can read process arguments through ps aux or /proc/[pid]/cmdline to retrieve plaintext passwords and keystore passwords.

GHSA-h3m5-p59h-x88p — openssl-encrypt has visible password in process list via --password CLI argument

Affected: PyPI: openssl-encrypt

### 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 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.

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CVE-2026-74873 — openssl_encrypt before 1.4.0 Password Exposure via CLI Argument

GHSA-h3m5-p59h-x88p — openssl-encrypt has visible password in process list via --password CLI argument