mediumVulnerability

GHSA-vfgx-5q85-58q3

### Summary The `generate_pseudorandom_sequence()` function in `openssl_encrypt/plugins/steganography/core/utils.py` at **lines 89-91** uses Python's `random` module (Mersenne Twister) for steganographic pixel/sample selection. ### Affected Code ```python random.seed(seed) sequence = random.sample(range(max_value), min(length, max_value)) return sequence ``` Additionally, the steganography password is stored as a plain Python string (not `SecureBytes`) and only 8 bytes (64 bits) of the SHA-256 hash are used for the seed, reducing effective security to 64 bits. ### Impact The Mersenne Twister's state can be recovered from approximately 624 outputs. An attacker who knows or guesses the password can predict the PRNG sequence and determine exactly which pixels contain hidden data, potentially extracting the hidden data without the password. ### Recommended Fix - Use HMAC-DRBG or `secrets` module for cryptographically secure pixel selection - Use full 32-byte SHA-256 output as seed material - Store the password in `SecureBytes` instead of a plain string ### Fix Fixed in commit `09e96e0` on branch `releases/1.4.x` — replaced random.seed(hash(password)) with HMAC-SHA256 based CSPRNG (Fisher-Yates shuffle) and numpy Generator with HMAC-derived seeds across all steganography format modules.

Properties

ghsa_id
GHSA-vfgx-5q85-58q3
severity
medium
summary
openssl-encrypt has non-cryptographic PRNG used for steganography pixel selection
cve_id
GHSA-vfgx-5q85-58q3
is_ghsa_only
true
ghsa_published
2026-03-31T23:43:06Z
source_url
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-vfgx-5q85-58q3
ghsa_updated
2026-03-31T23:43:07Z

Related Entities (3)

REPORTED_BY (1)

[Source]GitHub Advisory Database

AFFECTS (1)

[Software]pip/openssl-encrypt

HAS_WEAKNESS (1)

[Weakness]Use of Insufficiently Random Values

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GHSA-vfgx-5q85-58q3 — Ninja Signal Threat Intelligence | Ninja Signal