psd-tools composite/numpy has uncontrolled memory allocation via crafted PSD geometry
Summary
PSDImage.composite() (and .numpy()) allocate the output image buffer from the PSD's header geometry (width × height × channels × depth, and per-layer rectangles) before validating those values against the actual file contents. A tiny crafted PSD declaring huge dimensions causes a multi-gigabyte allocation. Critically, composite() then returns a (black) image with only a warning, no exception is raised, so a caller cannot detect or guard against it.
Impact
On psd-tools 1.17.2 (latest), default usage, a 49-byte PSD makes composite() commit ~3 GB and return successfully (warning only); .numpy() reaches ~7.5 GB, and the per-layer rectangle is a second lever (up to ~32 GB), all from an input under 100 bytes (input-to-commit amplification over 1000×). Because the buffer is committed before validation and no exception is thrown, any service that composites untrusted PSDs is exposed to denial of service: on a host with less RAM than the attacker-declared geometry the allocation is an unrecoverable OOM-kill.
Steps to reproduce
# pip install psd-tools==1.17.2
from psd_tools import PSDImage
psd = PSDImage.open("psd-psdtools-grammar-d23.psd")
psd.composite() # commits ~3 GB from a 49-byte file and returns (warning only)PoC (49 bytes), reconstruct with:
base64 -d > psd-psdtools-grammar-d23.psd <<'EOF'
OEJQUwABAAAAAAAAAAYAACg4AAAXTAAIAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUNIUIFU+yQtDw==
EOFVerify:
7d8ebf03a54393cb0359ecf4b676d1b08c9a8c6afdd06671ef406d6893cce826 psd-psdtools-grammar-d23.psdRoot cause
The composite/numpy buffer is sized from the declared image (and per-layer) dimensions and channel/depth without checking them against the available data length or a sane maximum.
Suggested fix
Validate the declared dimensions, channel count, and per-layer rectangles against the actual file length (and a configurable maximum pixel/byte budget) before allocating; raise an error on overflow instead of committing the buffer and returning a black image.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python (PyPI) | psd-tools | < 1.17.4 | 1.17.4 |
References
- https://github.com/psd-tools/psd-tools/security/advisories/GHSA-8q6g-vjhf-jp8m
- https://github.com/psd-tools/psd-tools/commit/a3d9a53ad51e667b5772a4f636ca6f2e16f4b271
- https://github.com/psd-tools/psd-tools
- https://github.com/psd-tools/psd-tools/releases/tag/v1.17.4
- https://pypi.org/project/psd-tools
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-8q6g-vjhf-jp8m
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-59991
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-789- Platform
- Python (PyPI)
- Package
psd-tools- Disclosed
- 22.09.2026
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 15:18
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2026-4139 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-8q6g-vjhf-jp8m - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: psd-tools
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Python (PyPI)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 4
- First → latest
- 03.2020 09.2026
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 1
- High 1
- Medium 2
Disclosures per year
- 2020: 1
- 2021: 0
- 2022: 0
- 2023: 0
- 2024: 0
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 3
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psd-tools composite/numpy has uncontrolled memory allocation via crafted PSD geometry this entry
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