OpenSSL Patches High-Severity AI-Found RCE Vulnerability

OpenSSL has released new patches addressing 18 vulnerabilities, including a high-severity issue. This critical flaw could allow remote code execution. Here's the thing: The high-severity vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-45447, is a heap use-after-free bug. It affects a function used for PKCS#7 verification. What's interesting is this bug was discovered by a Calif researcher working with Claude AI and Anthropic Research. It can be triggered by a specially crafted PKCS#7 or S/MIME signed message. Exploitation could lead to heap corruption, process crashes, and potentially remote code execution. This is the second high-severity flaw patched by OpenSSL in 2026, which is notable because such issues are rare. Other patched vulnerabilities range from moderate to low severity, affecting encrypted communications, integrity validation, and authentication mechanisms. The bottom line: These updates are crucial for maintaining the security and integrity of systems relying on OpenSSL.