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CVE-2026-96643· CVE.org (no NVD analysis yet)· CNA GitHub_M

Pillow: PNG eXIf chunk makes EXIF parsing run in quadratic time

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: 0.33% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: python-pillow Pillow 13.0.0.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to python-pillow Pillow 13.0.0 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

Pillow is a Python imaging library. From 11.0.0 until 13.0.0, Exif.load() in src/PIL/Image.py repeatedly slices the remaining EXIF data while it begins with the six-byte Exif header. src/PIL/PngImagePlugin.py accepts an uncapped PNG eXIf chunk, so a file filled with repeated headers causes a new shrinking copy on every iteration and quadratic CPU work. The condition is reachable through Image.getexif(), Image._getexif(), and ImageOps.exif_transpose(), including common photo-upload rotation workflows. This issue is fixed in version 13.0.0.

HighCVSS 7.1 · v4.0—No exploit Fix available
Published
Oct 21, 2026
Updated
Oct 22, 2026
EPSS
0.3% · 25th 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 · 0.3%

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · GitHub_M
7.1
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

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

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

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When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • 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.

—

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (GitHub_M). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • python-pillow Pillow

    • >= 11.0.0, < 13.0.0affected

Package-level exposure

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

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12pillowfrom 0—
PyPIpillowfrom 11.0.0 · before 13.0.013.0.0

Same product

python-pillow: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-96639Pillow multi-frame loaders can reuse stale native image storage after mode transitions
    39Monitor
  • CVE-2026-112900Pillow: Argument Injection in Ghostscript call, potentially leading into RCE
    36Monitor
  • CVE-2026-112403Pillow: Heap buffer overflow in ImagingJpegDecode
    36Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-96641Oct 21, 2026 · Pillow: Reachable undefined behavior in native integer operations, potentially leading to denial of service or logic integrity compromise
    26Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-96642Oct 21, 2026 · Pillow: TarIO negative size field causes infinite CPU-spin loop
    28Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2026-96644Oct 21, 2026 · Pillow: Heap over-read in WMF/EMF rendering via 16-bit dimension truncation (Windows builds)
    28Monitor

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
python-pillow Pillow13.0.0 · descriptionVendor (CNA)
PyPI:pillow13.0.0Package 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.

  1. Published
  2. Fix recordedsame day
  3. TodayOct 23, 2026+2 d
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.

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.

  • CVE-2026-1128942 days apartPillow: Quadratic-time DoS in PDF save_all (PdfParser.next_object_id)
    34Monitor
  • CVE-2026-1124012 days apartPillow: Quadratic GIF comment concatenation allows DoS in Image.open()
    27Monitor
  • CVE-2026-1128912 days apartPillow: Quadratic GIF comment copying during save
    27Monitor

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.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
P
Scope
X

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-407 · Inefficient Algorithmic Complexity

CVSS vector

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

nvd-secondary

Attack context

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

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

Change log

  1. Exploit maturity— → none
  2. Fix✗ → ✓

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References

Show all references (3 more)

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

All records