Excessive memory use in Pillow APNG handling enables denial of service
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 8 fixed, 9 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA, GitHub and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-789.
Summary
Pillow, a Python imaging library, is affected from 8.1.0 before 13.0.0. Pillow allocates an APNG disposal background at full canvas size before its decompression-bomb check (CWE-789). An unauthenticated attacker can supply a crafted APNG with a small first frame and a very large declared canvas, so opening it with Image.open() can exhaust memory and deny service. A public exploit is linked in the references, but the flaw is not listed in CISA KEV.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
Description from the CNA
Pillow is a Python imaging library. From 8.1.0 until 13.0.0, Pillow can allocate an APNG disposal background at the full canvas size before applying the decompression-bomb check. A crafted APNG with a small first frame, a very large declared canvas, and background disposal or first-frame OP_PREVIOUS reaches PngImageFile._seek while Image.open() positions frame zero. The full-canvas allocation occurs inside Image.open() without requiring pixel loading or frame iteration. This can exhaust memory and deny service. This issue is fixed in version 13.0.0.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| python-pillow | Pillow | 8.1.0 to before 13.0.0 | 13.0.0 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | Pillow (PyPI) | 8.1.0 to before 13.0.0 | 13.0.0 | Patch available | GHSA-5xm2-6676-qcp9 |
- Pillow Vendorpython-pillow Affected 8.1.0 to before 13.0.0 Fixed in 13.0.0 Patch available CNA
- Pillow (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 8.1.0 to before 13.0.0 Fixed in 13.0.0 Patch available GHSA-5xm2-6676-qcp9
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:python:pillow:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 8.1.0 to before 13.0.0 | Vulnerable | python-pillow |
- cpe:2.3:a:python:pillow:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 8.1.0 to before 13.0.0 Vulnerable ·python-pillow
Remediation
Upgrade Pillow to version 13.0.0. Red Hat fixes it in Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.5 (RHSA-2026:94738, RHSA-2026:94721, RHSA-2026:94717, RHSA-2026:94715, RHSA-2026:94709, RHSA-2026:94702), Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.4 (RHSA-2026:92510) and 3.5 (RHSA-2026:94631), and Red Hat Satellite 6.16 for RHEL 8 and 9 (RHSA-2026:95655), 6.17 for RHEL 9 (RHSA-2026:95656), 6.18 for RHEL 9 (RHSA-2026:95657) and 6.19 for RHEL 9 (RHSA-2026:92861). Red Hat plans no fix for Red Hat Lightspeed Services for OCP. The sources list no fixed version for Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2, Red Hat Enterprise Linux AI 3, Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI), Red Hat Quay 3, and other products.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- Fix · CNA Pillow (python-pillow) Fixed in 13.0.0
- Fix · GHSA-5xm2-6676-qcp9 Pillow (PyPI) Fixed in 13.0.0 Advisory →
Red Hat 12 advisories
- RHSA-2026:95655 Released 2026-11-05 · Red Hat rating CriticalSatellite 6.16 EUS security update
- Red Hat Satellite 6.16 for RHEL 8 openvox-agent-8.32.0-1.el8sat, openvox-server-8.18.0-1.el8sat, python-brotli-1.2.1-1.el8pc +11
- Red Hat Satellite 6.16 for RHEL 9 openvox-agent-8.32.0-1.el9sat, openvox-server-8.18.0-1.el9sat, python-brotli-1.2.1-1.el9pc +11
- RHSA-2026:95657 Released 2026-11-05 · Red Hat rating CriticalSatellite 6.18 security update
- Red Hat Satellite 6.18 for RHEL 9 openvox-agent-8.32.0-1.el9sat, openvox-server-8.18.0-1.el9sat, python3.12-brotli-1.2.1-1.el9pc +4
- RHSA-2026:95656 Released 2026-11-05 · Red Hat rating CriticalSatellite 6.17 security update
- Red Hat Satellite 6.17 for RHEL 9 openvox-agent-8.32.0-1.el9sat, openvox-server-8.18.0-1.el9sat, python-brotli-1.2.1-1.el9pc +9
Show 9 more Red Hat advisories
- RHSA-2026:94738 Released 2026-11-03 · Red Hat rating CriticalRed Hat AI Inference 3.5.3 (CUDA)
- Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.5 registry.redhat.io/rhaii/vllm-cuda-rhel9
- RHSA-2026:94721 Released 2026-11-03 · Red Hat rating CriticalRed Hat AI Inference Tech Preview 3.5.3 (Gaudi)
- Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.5 registry.redhat.io/rhaii/vllm-gaudi-rhel9
- RHSA-2026:94717 Released 2026-11-03 · Red Hat rating CriticalRed Hat AI Inference 3.5.3 (Spyre)
- Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.5 registry.redhat.io/rhaii/vllm-spyre-rhel9
- RHSA-2026:94715 Released 2026-11-03 · Red Hat rating CriticalRed Hat AI Inference Model Optimization Tools 3.5.3 (CUDA)
- Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.5 registry.redhat.io/rhaii/model-opt-cuda-rhel9
- RHSA-2026:94709 Released 2026-11-03 · Red Hat rating CriticalRed Hat AI Inference 3.5.3 (ROCm)
- Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.5 registry.redhat.io/rhaii/vllm-rocm-rhel9
- RHSA-2026:94702 Released 2026-11-03 · Red Hat rating CriticalRed Hat AI Inference 3.5.3 (CPU)
- Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.5 registry.redhat.io/rhaii/vllm-cpu-rhel9
- RHSA-2026:94631 Released 2026-11-03 · Red Hat rating CriticalGuideLLM 3.5.1
- Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.5 registry.redhat.io/rhai/guidellm-rhel9
- RHSA-2026:92861 Released 2026-10-29 · Red Hat rating CriticalSatellite 6.19 security update
- Red Hat Satellite 6.19 for RHEL 9 openvox-agent-8.31.1-1.el9sat, openvox-server-8.17.0-1.el9sat, python3.12-brotli-1.2.1-1.el9pc +6
- RHSA-2026:92510 Released 2026-10-29 · Red Hat rating CriticalRHOAI 3.4.6 - Red Hat OpenShift AI
- Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.4 registry.redhat.io/rhoai/odh-built-in-detector-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhoai/odh-cli-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhoai/odh-dashboard-rhel9 +47
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Exploit Intelligence | Affected | No fix yet |
| Lightspeed Core | Affected | No fix yet |
| OpenShift Lightspeed | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat AI Inference Server | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AI (RHEL AI) 3 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Lightspeed Services for OCP | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI) | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Quay 3 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.5 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:94702, RHSA-2026:94709, RHSA-2026:94715, RHSA-2026:94717, RHSA-2026:94721, RHSA-2026:94738 |
| Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.4 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:92510 |
| Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.5 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:94631 |
| Red Hat Satellite 6.16 for RHEL 8 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:95655 |
| Red Hat Satellite 6.16 for RHEL 9 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:95655 |
| Red Hat Satellite 6.17 for RHEL 9 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:95656 |
| Red Hat Satellite 6.18 for RHEL 9 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:95657 |
| Red Hat Satellite 6.19 for RHEL 9 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:92861 |
Not affected: 10 products
- Red Hat AI Inference Server
- Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI)
- Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.4
- Red Hat Satellite 6.16 for RHEL 8
- Red Hat Satellite 6.16 for RHEL 9
- Red Hat Satellite 6.17 for RHEL 9
- Red Hat Satellite 6.18 for RHEL 9
- Red Hat Satellite 6.19 for RHEL 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-20 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-112399
- 2026-10-20 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-20 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-21 Priority changed: MEDIUM → LOW
- 2026-10-21 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-21 Alias added: GHSA-5xm2-6676-qcp9
- 2026-10-21 Fix available: PyPI/[email protected] · GHSA-5xm2-6676-qcp9
- 2026-10-21 CVSS score added · GHSA-5xm2-6676-qcp9
- 2026-10-21 Weakness changed · GHSA-5xm2-6676-qcp9
- 2026-10-21 5 new references · GHSA-5xm2-6676-qcp9
- 2026-10-27 CVSS score added · NVD
- 2026-10-28 CISA SSVC decision points changed
- 2026-10-28 Priority changed: LOW → HIGH
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: RHSA-2026:92510 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.4 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Red Hat Satellite 6.19 for RHEL 9 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-31 Fix available: RHSA-2026:92861 · Red Hat
- 2026-11-04 Fix available: RHSA-2026:94717 · Red Hat
- 2026-11-04 Fix available: RHSA-2026:94715 · Red Hat
- 2026-11-04 Fix available: RHSA-2026:94709 · Red Hat
- 2026-11-04 Fix available: RHSA-2026:94738 · Red Hat
- 2026-11-04 Fix available: RHSA-2026:94702 · Red Hat
- 2026-11-04 Fix available: RHSA-2026:94631 · Red Hat
- 2026-11-04 Fix available: RHSA-2026:94721 · Red Hat
- 2026-11-04 Fix available: Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.5, Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.5 · Red Hat
- 2026-11-05 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-11-06 Fix available: Red Hat Satellite 6.16 for RHEL 8, Red Hat Satellite 6.16 for RHEL 9, Red Hat Satellite 6.17 for RHEL 9 +1 · Red Hat
- 2026-11-06 Fix available: RHSA-2026:95656 · Red Hat
- 2026-11-06 Fix available: RHSA-2026:95655 · Red Hat
- 2026-11-06 Fix available: RHSA-2026:95657 · Red Hat
References
More python-pillow Pillow vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-76627 Out-of-bounds read in Pillow TIFF encoder ColorMap handling CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.8
- TI-2026-76625 Quadratic-time denial of service in Pillow PDF save_all CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-76605 NULL pointer dereference in Pillow's Image.merge function CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-76604 Out-of-bounds read in Pillow TIFF decoding leaks heap memory CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.8
- TI-2026-76602 Double free in Pillow ImagingScaleAffine on allocation failure CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-76600 GIF seek in Pillow keeps rejected size, allowing denial of service CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
Sources
- CVE-2026-112399 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-112399 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-5xm2-6676-qcp9 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-112399 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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