openssl-encrypt: Dynamic .so loading for Whirlpool uses broad glob pattern without integrity verification
## Severity: HIGH ### Summary The Whirlpool hash implementation in `openssl_encrypt/modules/registry/hash_registry.py` at **lines 570-589** uses glob patterns to find `.so` modules in site-packages and loads the first match via `importlib` without verifying module integrity. ### Affected Code ```python for site_pkg in site.getsitepackages(): pattern = os.path.join(site_pkg, "whirlpool*py313*.so") py313_modules = glob.glob(pattern) if py313_modules: module_path = py313_modules[0] # Takes first match loader = ExtensionFileLoader("whirlpool", module_path) spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location("whirlpool", module_path, loader=loader) whirlpool_module = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec) spec.loader.exec_module(whirlpool_module) ``` ### Impact The glob pattern `"whirlpool*py313*.so"` is broad and takes the first match without verifying: - File hash/signature - File ownership/permissions - Whether it's a legitimate module If an attacker can place a malicious `.so` file matching this pattern in any site-packages directory, it will be loaded and native code executed. ### Recommended Fix - Verify the module's integrity (hash or signature) before loading - Use a specific filename rather than a glob pattern - Check file permissions and ownership ### Fix Fixed in commit `963d0d1` on branch `releases/1.4.x` — added os.path.realpath() to resolve symlinks and validation that found .so files are within known site-packages directories before loading.
describes (1)
Related CVEs.
| ID | severity | exploitable | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-74872US | — | — | ||
openssl_encrypt versions before 1.4.0 contain an arbitrary code execution vulnerability in the Whirlpool hash implementation that uses broad glob patterns to load .so modules witho… | ||||
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