CVE-2026-8721: Crypt::OpenSSL::PKCS12 for Perl: password truncation at embedded NULL bytes (CWE-170)

Overview

The Perl module Crypt::OpenSSL::PKCS12 handles password parameters as C strings. According to the NVD record, the length Perl knows about the password is discarded, so the underlying C code stops reading at the first NULL byte. Versions through 1.94 are described as affected.

Impact

Any password bytes at or after the first embedded NULL are silently dropped.
Binary, KDF-derived or HMAC-derived passwords can lose a significant part of their entropy.
No warning is emitted, so applications may believe a stronger secret is in use than the one actually applied.
The CVSS 3.1 vector recorded by the NVD (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) indicates high impact on confidentiality, integrity and availability, as scored by the assigning provider.

Affected products and versions

The description states that Crypt::OpenSSL::PKCS12 versions through 1.94 for Perl are affected.
The structured affected-product list in the record is empty, so exact ranges beyond this statement cannot be confirmed from the sources consulted.
A changelog for release 1.95 is referenced in the Changes file on MetaCPAN. Whether that release addresses this issue is not stated in the record.

Exploitation status

The record does not list this CVE in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. No confirmed exploitation appears in the sources consulted. The FIRST EPSS entry in the record gives a probability of 0.00553 and a percentile of 0.44701.

Remediation and mitigation

The record does not identify a fixed version. The absence of a fixed version does not mean no fix exists; check the upstream Changes file and the module's distribution for release notes.
Inventory applications that use this module with passwords, and prioritise those that handle binary or derived secrets.
Until a fix is verified, avoid relying on passwords that contain NULL bytes. Where practical, store derived secrets in a text-safe encoding under your own control, and test the change carefully, because existing PKCS#12 files may depend on the previous password bytes.
Re-test the handling of any keystore created or read with affected versions after updating.

Detection guidance

The truncation produces no error or log entry, so ordinary monitoring is unlikely to reveal it.
Review application code paths where binary or cryptographically derived values are passed as passwords to this module.
Use non-production test data with known embedded-NULL values to confirm whether the installed version behaves as described in the record.

Limitations of the available information

The record gives no structured affected or fixed version ranges, so the boundary of the affected versions is taken only from the description.
No CWE name is provided in the record, although the identifier CWE-170 is present.
The CVSS score is attributed to a provider identifier, and the record does not describe the scoring rationale.
The EPSS date in the record is later than the publication date, which should be verified against the live EPSS feed.
Whether the 1.95 release changes this behaviour is not confirmed by the sources consulted.

Frequently asked questions

What is the core problem in CVE-2026-8721?

According to the NVD record, Crypt::OpenSSL::PKCS12 for Perl through version 1.94 discards password bytes at or after an embedded NULL byte, which silently reduces the entropy of the password used.

Is this vulnerability known to be exploited?

The record does not list it in CISA's KEV catalog, and no confirmed exploitation appears in the sources consulted.

This analysis was drafted with AI assistance from verified source data and automatically checked against it.