Vulnerability Database

388,831

Total vulnerabilities in the database

CVE-2026-95831

Embedded Malicious Code

Crypt::SelfCertificate versions from 1.01 through 1.05 for Perl contains malware which executes Python code from an obfuscated URL.

The generate_certificate runs a Python script saved as a certificate file. The pyhton script attempts to retrieve code from a hardcoded http URL that is obfuscated with base64 encoding and run the response body directly.

The impact is that arbitrary code can be invoked as the user, without a dropped script being saved on the affected host.

The releases have no test scripts nor build hooks. The intention may have been to trigger the payload after installation.

For version 1.01, the dropper script is in lib/Crypt/SelfCertificate/sample/validate.p12.

For version 1.05, the dropper script is in lib/Crypt/SelfCertificate/sample/cert7.pem.

The SHA-256 digests of the files are

fbff21f45ff748365062a5e36fb2d72558cad82a507a6f357f320b4fcdf07760 Crypt-SelfCertificate-1.01.tar.gz 27b2d2d3174ad771474fff2521f5084ec231e9218ea8c832515aef1cbd5897bc lib/Crypt/SelfCertificate/sample/validate.p12 9fdfa7d69b034b77d4510cda567e8da1e486ca81c7daaadc5732a45c41d71991 Crypt-SelfCertificate-1.05.tar.gz 27b2d2d3174ad771474fff2521f5084ec231e9218ea8c832515aef1cbd5897bc lib/Crypt/SelfCertificate/sample/cert7.pem
  • Published: Sep 22, 2026
  • Updated: Sep 23, 2026
  • CVE: CVE-2026-95831
  • Severity: High
  • Exploit:
  • CISA KEV:

CVSS v3:

  • Severity: High
  • Score: 7.8
  • AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWEs:

Frequently Asked Questions

A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.

CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.

A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.

Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.

Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.

SynScan combines attack surface monitoring and continuous security auditing to keep your inventory current, flag high-impact vulnerabilities early, and help you turn raw findings into a practical remediation plan.