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NVD / CVE Program· CNA mitre

CVE-2020-35653: In Pillow before 8.1.0, PcxDecode has a buffer over-read when decoding a crafted PCX file because the user-supplied stride value is trusted

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 28/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 1.6% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 76.1% of all records.
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. A user must open a link or visit a page. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: python3-pillow (AlmaLinux:8) 5.1.1-16.el8; py3-pillow (Alpine:v3.14) 8.1.0-r0; pillow (Debian:12) 8.1.0-1.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to python3-pillow (AlmaLinux:8) 5.1.1-16.el8; py3-pillow (Alpine:v3.14) 8.1.0-r0; pillow (Debian:12) 8.1.0-1 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

In Pillow before 8.1.0, PcxDecode has a buffer over-read when decoding a crafted PCX file because the user-supplied stride value is trusted for buffer calculations.

HighCVSS 7.1 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Jan 12, 2021
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
1.6% · 76th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

28

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
28 / 40 · 7.1 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 1.6%

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

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When you'll hear from us

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  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
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  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
pythonpillow
fedoraprojectfedora
debiandebian linux

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • debian debian linux9.0
  • fedoraproject fedora32
  • fedoraproject fedora33
  • python pillowbefore 8.1.0

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
AlmaLinux:8python3-pillowbefore 5.1.1-16.el85.1.1-16.el8
Alpine:v3.14py3-pillowbefore 8.1.0-r08.1.0-r0
Debian:12pillowbefore 8.1.0-18.1.0-1
Debian:9pillowbefore 4.0.0-4+deb9u34.0.0-4+deb9u3
openSUSE:Leap 15.2python-CairoSVGbefore 2.5.1-lp152.2.3.12.5.1-lp152.2.3.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.2python-Pillowbefore 8.3.1-lp152.5.3.18.3.1-lp152.5.3.1
openSUSE:Tumbleweedpython-Pillowbefore 10.3.0-1.110.3.0-1.1
openSUSE:Tumbleweedpython-Pillowbefore 8.3.2-1.28.3.2-1.2
openSUSE:Tumbleweedpython-Pillowbefore 12.3.0-1.112.3.0-1.1
PyPIpillowbefore 8.1.08.1.0
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreampython-pillowbefore 0:5.1.1-16.el80:5.1.1-16.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreampython-pillow-debuginfobefore 0:5.1.1-16.el80:5.1.1-16.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreampython-pillow-debugsourcebefore 0:5.1.1-16.el80:5.1.1-16.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreampython3-pillowbefore 0:5.1.1-16.el80:5.1.1-16.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreampython3-pillow-debuginfobefore 0:5.1.1-16.el80:5.1.1-16.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreampython3-pillow-tk-debuginfobefore 0:5.1.1-16.el80:5.1.1-16.el8
Rocky Linux:8python-pillowbefore 0:5.1.1-16.el80:5.1.1-16.el8
SUSE:HPE Helion OpenStack 8python-Pillowbefore 4.2.1-3.14.14.2.1-3.14.1
SUSE:OpenStack Cloud 7python-Pillowbefore 2.8.1-4.22.12.8.1-4.22.1
SUSE:OpenStack Cloud 9python-Pillowbefore 5.2.0-3.8.15.2.0-3.8.1

Same product

python: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2014-3007Python Image Library (PIL) 1.1.7 and earlier and Pillow 2.3 might allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharact
    43Plan
  • CVE-2016-4009Integer overflow in the ImagingResampleHorizontal function in libImaging/Resample.c in Pillow before 3.1.1 allows remote attackers to have u
    41Plan
  • CVE-2022-30595libImaging/TgaRleDecode.c in Pillow 9.1.0 has a heap buffer overflow in the processing of invalid TGA image files.
    40Plan

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2020-10994Jun 25, 2020 · In libImaging/Jpeg2KDecode.c in Pillow before 7.1.0, there are multiple out-of-bounds reads via a crafted JP2 file.
    22Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2020-11538Jun 25, 2020 · In libImaging/SgiRleDecode.c in Pillow through 7.0.0, a number of out-of-bounds reads exist in the parsing of SGI image files, a different i
    33Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2020-35654Jan 12, 2021 · In Pillow before 8.1.0, TiffDecode has a heap-based buffer overflow when decoding crafted YCbCr files because of certain interpretation conf
    36Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
almalinux:python3-pillow5.1.1-16.el8 · AlmaLinux:8Package registry (OSV)
alpine:py3-pillow8.1.0-r0 · Alpine:v3.14Package registry (OSV)
debian:pillow8.1.0-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:python-CairoSVG2.5.1-lp152.2.3.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.2Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:python-Pillow8.3.1-lp152.5.3.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.2Package registry (OSV)
PyPI:pillow8.1.0Package registry (OSV)
red hat:python-pillow0:5.1.1-16.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:python-pillow-debuginfo0:5.1.1-16.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:python-pillow-debugsource0:5.1.1-16.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:python3-pillow0:5.1.1-16.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:python3-pillow-debuginfo0:5.1.1-16.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:python3-pillow-tk-debuginfo0:5.1.1-16.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
rocky linux:python-pillow0:5.1.1-16.el8 · Rocky Linux:8Package registry (OSV)
suse:python-Pillow5.2.0-3.8.1 · SUSE:OpenStack Cloud 9Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • A user must open a link or visit a page.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
low · data can be read
Integrity
none
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
Low
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-125 · Out-of-bounds Read

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

ATT&CK techniques

—

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (3 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records