VeraCrypt: Hidden volume quick format weakens plausible deniability

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Summary

CVECVE-2026-54073
StatePUBLISHED
AssignerGitHub_M
Source PriorityCVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published2026-08-21 19:17:02 UTC
Updated2026-08-21 20:16:37 UTC
DescriptionVeraCrypt provides disk encryption with strong security based on TrueCrypt. From 1.26.6 until 1.26.29, file-hosted hidden volume creation forces quick format and the FormatNoFs function in src/Common/Format.c and FormatFat function in src/Common/Fat.c use WriteFile to place raw zeroed sectors at predictable 128 MiB intervals. These writes bypass the normal EncryptDataUnits formatting path, leaving deterministic plaintext markers in an area expected to resemble random ciphertext. The markers can weaken plausible deniability during forensic inspection, although they do not disclose hidden-volume content or reduce the strength of VeraCrypt encryption. This issue is fixed in version 1.26.29.

Risk And Classification

Primary CVSS: v4.0 4.6 MEDIUM from [email protected]

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

Problem Types: CWE-693 | CWE-693 CWE-693: Protection Mechanism Failure

VersionSourceTypeScoreSeverityVector
4.0[email protected]Secondary4.6MEDIUMCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/C...
4.0CNADECLARED4.6MEDIUMCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

CVSS v4.0 Breakdown

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Active
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None
Sub Conf.
None
Sub Integrity
None
Sub Availability
None

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

Vendor Declared Affected Products

SourceVendorProductVersionPlatforms
CNA Veracrypt VeraCrypt affected >= 1.26.6, < 1.26.29 Not specified

References

ReferenceSourceLinkTags
github.com/veracrypt/VeraCrypt/security/advisories/GHSA-jjcr-75w7-58jp 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 github.com
github.com/veracrypt/VeraCrypt/releases/tag/VeraCrypt_1.26.29 [email protected] github.com
github.com/veracrypt/VeraCrypt/commit/689a59cd584f090ca5f9214d5f2f3a9eac... [email protected] github.com
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