CVE-2026-59200

Pillow is a Python imaging library. From 5.1.0 until 12.3.0, PdfParser.PdfStream.decode() in PIL/PdfParser.py calls zlib.decompress() with bufsize set to the PDF stream Length field without bounding the decompressed output size, allowing a crafted FlateDecode PDF stream to exhaust memory from a small file. This issue is fixed in version 12.3.0.

Weakness

The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.

Affected Software

Potential Mitigations

• Mitigation of resource exhaustion attacks requires that the target system either:

• The first of these solutions is an issue in itself though, since it may allow attackers to prevent the use of the system by a particular valid user. If the attacker impersonates the valid user, they may be able to prevent the user from accessing the server in question.

• The second solution is simply difficult to effectively institute – and even when properly done, it does not provide a full solution. It simply makes the attack require more resources on the part of the attacker.

Related Attack Patterns

• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/147.html
• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/227.html
• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/492.html

References

• https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/commit/f7a31ea75e460e108c37126da1f47812f21f6b09
• https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/pull/9718
• https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/releases/tag/12.3.0
• https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/security/advisories/GHSA-jjj6-mw9f-p565
• https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/security/advisories/GHSA-jjj6-mw9f-p565