CVE-2026-74872
RCE via malicious .so loaded by openssl_encrypt's Whirlpool extension
Is CVE-2026-74872 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-74872 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.46% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-74872?
CVE-2026-74872 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.3. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-74872?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-74872. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-74872 affect?
CVE-2026-74872 affects openssl_encrypt < 1.4.0, Python environments with writable site-packages, Systems loading Whirlpool .so extensions. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-74872?
Upgrade to openssl_encrypt >=1.4.0, restrict site-packages write access, scan for rogue .so files
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Attackers placing crafted whirlpool*py313*.so in writable site-packages can achieve native code execution when the module is imported.
Immediate action required
- affected< 1.4.0
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.