rotki: Weak key derivation in premium cloud backup encryption
Summary
rotki before 1.44.2 derives the key for premium cloud backups from the user password using a single unsalted SHA-256 hash. An attacker who obtains an uploaded backup can run offline, GPU-accelerated password guessing and decrypt the database, which contains exchange API keys, secrets, wallet addresses and transaction history. The attacker needs a copy of the backup blob, and feasibility depends mainly on the strength of the password.
Affected
- rotki versions 0 to before 1.44.2 (CNA record)
Fixed in
- rotki 1.44.2 and later
- Recreate premium backups after upgrading. Rotki 1.44.1 and earlier cannot read backups made by 1.44.2.
Workaround
Unknown. No vendor-documented workaround exists for users who cannot upgrade.
Exploitation
- No confirmed exploitation in the wild. Not listed in CISA KEV.
- Public PoC status is contradictory and unconfirmed.
- CISA SSVC: exploitation none, not automatable, partial technical impact.
Our recommendation
- Upgrade rotki to 1.44.2 or later on all systems.
- Recreate premium cloud backups after the upgrade, because old-format backups remain restorable without the stronger protection.
- Use a long, unique password for the rotki account.
- If a backup may have been exposed, rotate exchange API keys and review linked wallets.
- Check whether premium cloud sync is used in your organisation. For most SMEs the exposure is low.
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- rotki 1.44.2 release notes (fix) github.com
- rotki issue 13393 (technical description) github.com
- OpenCVE CVE-2026-116071 (CVE record summary) app.opencve.io
- Strix CVE-2026-116071 (CVSS and KEV status) www.strix.ai
- VulnCheck advisory (rotki before 1.44.2) www.vulncheck.com
- rotki premium documentation docs.rotki.com
- Sploitus CVE-2026-116071 (unverified PoC listing) sploitus.com
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 1 Nov 2026, 15:05.
Original description (NVD)
rotki before 1.44.2 contains a weak key derivation vulnerability that allows attackers to brute-force backups because the premium sync key is a single unsalted SHA-256 of the user password. Attackers who obtain an uploaded backup blob can run GPU-parallel offline password guessing and decrypt the database containing exchange API keys, secrets, wallet addresses and transaction history.
NVD references (7)
- https://github.com/rotki/rotki
- https://github.com/rotki/rotki/blob/v1.44.1/rotkehlchen/crypto.py#L17-L45
- https://github.com/rotki/rotki/blob/v1.44.1/rotkehlchen/data_handler.py#L263-L294
- https://github.com/rotki/rotki/issues/13393
- https://github.com/rotki/rotki/pull/13401
- https://github.com/rotki/rotki/releases/tag/v1.44.2
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/rotki-before-1.44.2-weak-key-derivation-for-premium-cloud-backup-encrypt…
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
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