VulnerabilityPublished 12 Jun 2026

CVE-2026-9638: ARODLAND Crypt::PBKDF2 · PRNG

Affects ARODLAND Crypt::PBKDF2Source CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High : upgrade to 0.261630 soon.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 23% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 0.261630

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 12 Jun 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 30 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade Crypt::PBKDF2 and Crypt-PBKDF2 to 0.261630.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
ARODLANDCrypt::PBKDF2	Affected <0.261630	Fixed in 0.261630
GitHubCrypt-PBKDF2`pkg:github/Crypt-PBKDF2`Other threats	Affected <0.261630	Fixed in 0.261630

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

Users should upgrade to version 0.261630 or later once available, as this version presumably addresses the issue by using a cryptographically secure random number generator for salt creation. Until then, avoid using affected versions for sensitive cryptographic operations.

Description

Crypt::PBKDF2 versions before 0.261630 for Perl use a cryptographically weak pseudo-random number generator for salt generation. Specifically, these versions rely on the built-in rand function, which is predictable and unsuitable for cryptographic purposes. This weakness can compromise the security of derived keys by making salts guessable.

Impact

The use of a predictable pseudo-random number generator for salt generation reduces the entropy and uniqueness of salts. This can enable attackers to perform more effective precomputation or rainbow table attacks against derived keys, potentially compromising the confidentiality of protected data. There is no indication of impact on integrity or availability. No known exploits in the wild have been reported.

Summary

CVE-2026-9638 identifies a vulnerability in ARODLAND's Crypt::PBKDF2 Perl module where versions prior to 0.261630 generate salts using the built-in rand function. This function is not cryptographically secure and produces predictable random values, violating best practices for salt generation in password-based key derivation functions. The weakness corresponds to CWE-338, indicating the use of a cryptographically weak pseudo-random number generator. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5, reflecting high severity with network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges or user interaction required, and high confidentiality impact.

CWE-338Use of Cryptographically Weak Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG) (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumOWASP Top 10 A04:2025: Cryptographic Failures (opens in a new tab)
The product uses a Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG) in a security context, but the PRNG's algorithm is not cryptographically strong.
Implementation
Use functions or hardware which use a hardware-based random number generation for all crypto. This is the recommended solution. Use CyptGenRandom on Windows, or hw_rand() on Linux.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Transport Layer Protection (opens in a new tab)
User Privacy Protection (opens in a new tab)
Password Storage (opens in a new tab)
Cryptographic Storage (opens in a new tab)
HSTS (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V6.3.3 (opens in a new tab)
V6.3.2 (opens in a new tab)
V6.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 19 Jun 2026, 18:27 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-338

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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