Critical Flaws Found in VeraCrypt
Popular open source encryption tool is vulnerable to attack
VeraCrypt, the open source full-disk encryption program, has released version 1.19, which fixes many critical flaws in previous editions.
Between August 16 and September 14, 2016, an audit of VeraCrypt 1.18 was conducted by the French cybersecurity firm Quarkslab. The audit, which was sponsored by the Open Source Technology Improvement Fund (OSTIF), found eight critical vulnerabilities. All of the serious issues have been fixed in the latest version of VeraCrypt, and users are urged to immediately upgrade to version 1.19.
The report cites other issues with VeraCrypt that still need fixing. “The availability of GOST 28147-89, a symmetric block cipher with a 64-bit block size, is an issue. This algorithm must not be used in this context. Compression libraries are outdated or poorly written. They must be updated or replaced. If the system is encrypted, the boot password (in UEFI mode) or its length (in legacy mode) could be retrieved by an attacker.”
If you are a VeraCrypt user, please upgrade to the latest release immediately.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.
-
Zorin OS 18 Beta Available for Testing
The latest release from the team behind Zorin OS is ready for public testing, and it includes plenty of improvements to make it more powerful, user-friendly, and productive.
-
Fedora Linux 43 Beta Now Available for Testing
Fedora Linux 43 Beta ships with Gnome 49 and KDE Plasma 6.4 (and other goodies).
-
USB4 Maintainer Leaves Intel
Michael Jamet, one of the primary maintainers of USB4 and Thunderbolt drivers, has left Intel, leaving a gaping hole for the Linux community to deal with.
-
Budgie 10.9.3 Now Available
The latest version of this elegant and configurable Linux desktop aligns with changes in Gnome 49.
-
KDE Linux Alpha Available for Daring Users
It's official, KDE Linux has arrived, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
-
AMD Initiates Graphics Driver Updates for Linux Kernel 6.18
This new AMD update focuses on power management, display handling, and hardware support for Radeon GPUs.
-
AerynOS Alpha Release Available
With a choice of several desktop environments, AerynOS 2025.08 is almost ready to be your next operating system.
-
AUR Repository Still Under DDoS Attack
Arch User Repository continues to be under a DDoS attack that has been going on for more than two weeks.
-
RingReaper Malware Poses Danger to Linux Systems
A new kind of malware exploits modern Linux kernels for I/O operations.