diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index f67ff5d444..129c6245bd 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ phpMyAdmin - ChangeLog
 - bug #4513 phpmyadmin run very slow (information_schema)
 - bug #4243 Super slow page rendering with tens of thousands of DBs
 - bug #4391 Upgraded to 4.2.0, insanely slow now
++ rfe #1537 PHP OpenSSL support for cookie encryption/decryption
 
 4.2.12.0 (not yet released)
 - bug #4574 Blank/white page when JavaScript disabled
diff --git a/libraries/plugins/auth/AuthenticationCookie.class.php b/libraries/plugins/auth/AuthenticationCookie.class.php
index d21c510f43..79015f8174 100644
--- a/libraries/plugins/auth/AuthenticationCookie.class.php
+++ b/libraries/plugins/auth/AuthenticationCookie.class.php
@@ -727,8 +727,8 @@ class AuthenticationCookie extends AuthenticationPlugin
     }
 
     /**
-     * Encryption using phpseclib's AES
-     * (it uses mcrypt when it is available)
+     * Encryption using openssl's AES or phpseclib's AES
+     * (phpseclib uses mcrypt when it is available)
      *
      * @param string $data   original data
      * @param string $secret the secret
@@ -737,15 +737,25 @@ class AuthenticationCookie extends AuthenticationPlugin
      */
     public function cookieEncrypt($data, $secret)
     {
-        $cipher = new Crypt_AES(CRYPT_AES_MODE_CBC);
-        $cipher->setIV($this->_cookie_iv);
-        $cipher->setKey($secret);
-        return base64_encode($cipher->encrypt($data));
+        if (function_exists('openssl_encrypt') && PHP_VERSION_ID >= 50304) {
+            return openssl_encrypt(
+                $data,
+                'AES-128-CBC',
+                $secret,
+                0,
+                $this->_cookie_iv
+            );
+        } else {
+            $cipher = new Crypt_AES(CRYPT_AES_MODE_CBC);
+            $cipher->setIV($this->_cookie_iv);
+            $cipher->setKey($secret);
+            return base64_encode($cipher->encrypt($data));
+        }
     }
 
     /**
-     * Decryption using phpseclib's AES
-     * (it uses mcrypt when it is available)
+     * Decryption using openssl's AES or phpseclib's AES
+     * (phpseclib uses mcrypt when it is available)
      *
      * @param string $encdata encrypted data
      * @param string $secret  the secret
@@ -758,10 +768,23 @@ class AuthenticationCookie extends AuthenticationPlugin
             $this->_cookie_iv = base64_decode($_COOKIE['pma_iv'], true);
         }
 
-        $cipher = new Crypt_AES(CRYPT_AES_MODE_CBC);
-        $cipher->setIV($this->_cookie_iv);
-        $cipher->setKey($secret);
-        return $cipher->decrypt(base64_decode($encdata));
+        if (function_exists('openssl_decrypt') && PHP_VERSION_ID >= 50304) {
+            if (strlen($this->_cookie_iv) < openssl_cipher_iv_length('AES-128-CBC')) {
+                $this->createIV();
+            }
+            return openssl_decrypt(
+                $encdata,
+                'AES-128-CBC',
+                $secret,
+                0,
+                $this->_cookie_iv
+            );
+        } else {
+            $cipher = new Crypt_AES(CRYPT_AES_MODE_CBC);
+            $cipher->setIV($this->_cookie_iv);
+            $cipher->setKey($secret);
+            return $cipher->decrypt(base64_decode($encdata));
+        }
     }
 
     /**
@@ -774,8 +797,14 @@ class AuthenticationCookie extends AuthenticationPlugin
      */
     public function createIV()
     {
-        $cipher = new Crypt_AES(CRYPT_AES_MODE_CBC);
-        $this->_cookie_iv = crypt_random_string($cipher->block_size);
+        if (function_exists('openssl_encrypt') && PHP_VERSION_ID >= 50304) {
+            $this->_cookie_iv = openssl_random_pseudo_bytes(
+                openssl_cipher_iv_length('AES-128-CBC')
+            );
+        } else {
+            $cipher = new Crypt_AES(CRYPT_AES_MODE_CBC);
+            $this->_cookie_iv = crypt_random_string($cipher->block_size);
+        }
         $GLOBALS['PMA_Config']->setCookie(
             'pma_iv',
             base64_encode($this->_cookie_iv)
diff --git a/test/classes/plugin/auth/PMA_AuthenticationCookie_test.php b/test/classes/plugin/auth/PMA_AuthenticationCookie_test.php
index 706dc2556c..9e083be876 100644
--- a/test/classes/plugin/auth/PMA_AuthenticationCookie_test.php
+++ b/test/classes/plugin/auth/PMA_AuthenticationCookie_test.php
@@ -568,7 +568,7 @@ class PMA_AuthenticationCookie_Test extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         $GLOBALS['server'] = 1;
         $_COOKIE['pmaServer-1'] = 'pmaServ1';
         $_COOKIE['pmaUser-1'] = '';
-        $_COOKIE['pma_iv'] = base64_encode('testiv09');
+        $_COOKIE['pma_iv'] = base64_encode('testiv09testiv09');
 
         $this->assertFalse(
             $this->object->authCheck()
@@ -584,7 +584,7 @@ class PMA_AuthenticationCookie_Test extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         $GLOBALS['server'] = 1;
         $_COOKIE['pmaServer-1'] = 'pmaServ1';
         $_COOKIE['pmaUser-1'] = 'pmaUser1';
-        $_COOKIE['pma_iv'] = base64_encode('testiv09');
+        $_COOKIE['pma_iv'] = base64_encode('testiv09testiv09');
         $_COOKIE['pmaPass-1'] = '';
         $GLOBALS['cfg']['blowfish_secret'] = 'secret';
         $_SESSION['last_access_time'] = time() - 1000;
@@ -659,7 +659,7 @@ class PMA_AuthenticationCookie_Test extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         $_REQUEST['pma_username'] = '';
         $_COOKIE['pmaServer-1'] = 'pmaServ1';
         $_COOKIE['pmaUser-1'] = 'pmaUser1';
-        $_COOKIE['pma_iv'] = base64_encode('testiv09');
+        $_COOKIE['pma_iv'] = base64_encode('testiv09testiv09');
         $GLOBALS['cfg']['blowfish_secret'] = 'secret';
         $_SESSION['last_access_time'] = '';
         $_SESSION['last_valid_captcha'] = true;
@@ -698,7 +698,7 @@ class PMA_AuthenticationCookie_Test extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         $_COOKIE['pmaServer-1'] = 'pmaServ1';
         $_COOKIE['pmaUser-1'] = 'pmaUser1';
         $_COOKIE['pmaPass-1'] = 'pmaPass1';
-        $_COOKIE['pma_iv'] = base64_encode('testiv09');
+        $_COOKIE['pma_iv'] = base64_encode('testiv09testiv09');
         $GLOBALS['cfg']['blowfish_secret'] = 'secret';
         $_SESSION['last_valid_captcha'] = true;
         $_SESSION['last_access_time'] = time() - 1000;
@@ -742,7 +742,7 @@ class PMA_AuthenticationCookie_Test extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         $_REQUEST['pma_username'] = '';
         $_COOKIE['pmaServer-1'] = 'pmaServ1';
         $_COOKIE['pmaUser-1'] = 'pmaUser1';
-        $_COOKIE['pma_iv'] = base64_encode('testiv09');
+        $_COOKIE['pma_iv'] = base64_encode('testiv09testiv09');
         $GLOBALS['cfg']['blowfish_secret'] = 'secret';
         $_SESSION['last_access_time'] = 1;
         $_SESSION['last_valid_captcha'] = true;
@@ -1049,9 +1049,10 @@ class PMA_AuthenticationCookie_Test extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
      */
     public function testCookieEncrypt()
     {
-        $this->object->setIV('testiv09');
+        $this->object->setIV('testiv09testiv09');
+        // works with the openssl extension active or inactive
         $this->assertEquals(
-            'vzJVtW8Ujd4phw7Cxl2PcQ==',
+            '+coP/up/ZBTBwbiEpCUVXQ==',
             $this->object->cookieEncrypt('data123', 'sec321')
         );
     }
@@ -1063,11 +1064,12 @@ class PMA_AuthenticationCookie_Test extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
      */
     public function testCookieDecrypt()
     {
-        $this->object->setIV('testiv09');
+        $this->object->setIV('testiv09testiv09');
+        // works with the openssl extension active or inactive
         $this->assertEquals(
             'data123',
             $this->object->cookieDecrypt(
-                'vzJVtW8Ujd4phw7Cxl2PcQ==',
+                '+coP/up/ZBTBwbiEpCUVXQ==',
                 'sec321'
             )
         );