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Response snapshot Oct 27, 2026, 01:46 UTC

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VulnerabilityCVE-2026-112896

Pillow: TIFF encoder ColorMap plane-size mismatch causes a heap out-of-bounds read

A small attacker-supplied TIFF can be opened and loaded normally, then reach an out-of-bounds read when an application saves it back to TIFF with retained metadata.

Published Updated

At a glance

Exploited
Not known
Severity
8.8 High (CVSS 4.0)
Chance of exploitation
0.5% in the next 30 days
Sources
2 independent sources

What to do

GitHub lists first patched versions: Pillow: 13.0.0. Confirm the affected range and upgrade guidance in the exact advisory.

Read GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-pchr-8j38-3x4p (opens a new tab)

What happened

## Summary

A small attacker-supplied TIFF can be opened and loaded normally, then reach an out-of-bounds read when an application saves it back to TIFF with retained metadata. The fixed reproducer is a 1×1, 16-bit grayscale, PackBits-compressed TIFF containing tag 320 (ColorMap) with **768 SHORT values**: three zero-filled planes of 256 entries each. No Python object is forged and no metadata is injected after loading.

Pillow's TIFF encoder allocates **768 × 2 = 1536 bytes**, then passes three plane pointers separated by 256 SHORT entries to libtiff. With `BitsPerSample = 16`, libtiff instead expects **65536 SHORT values per plane** and attempts a **131072-byte read** from a plane pointer. Existing ASAN observations identify a heap-buffer-overflow READ crossing the 1536-byte allocation made in `PyImaging_LibTiffEncoderNew`.

The malformed ColorMap need not be a valid palette for this grayscale image. The issue is that accepted metadata is forwarded on save without reconciling the fixed plane extent with the effective sample depth. Opening/loading alone is not the demonstrated fault; the encoder path is required.

Continue reading

## Impact and prerequisites

An application must accept the input, retain the relevant TIFF metadata, and invoke the libtiff-backed TIFF save path. The observed consequence is an out-of-bounds read and ASAN termination. Process-memory exposure during encoding is a potential consequence, **not demonstrated by extracting arbitrary heap contents in this report**. No arbitrary read primitive, full memory-disclosure chain, code execution, address-space bypass, or cross-process effect is claimed.

The 131072-byte attempted copy is not the number of bytes proven disclosed. This report does not run a synthetic-canary serializer or collect an unsanitized encoded output.

## Tested environment and limits of the evidence

The existing observations were recorded on August 30, 2026, with **CPython 3.11.8 on macOS ARM64**, using the unmodified official **Pillow 12.3.0** wheel and its bundled **libtiff 4.7.1**:

- Wheel: `pillow-12.3.0-cp311-cp311-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl` - Wheel size: `4785266` bytes - Wheel SHA-256: `37d6d0a00072fd2948eb22bce7e1475f34569d90c87c59f7a2ec59541b77f7a6` - Pillow source revision: `bb1d8e8ab8d29048624d96e3ee53cecf7c13d13d` - Bundled libtiff SHA-256: `e8988717b7470394a47d5ccd343130796b24ee70b6d885d3818e0e0b53238be1`

Apple's ASAN runtime was injected at process startup. This is **not an ASAN-rebuilt Pillow wheel**; allocation/memcpy interception detects the reported boundary violation, but the wheel's native instructions are not comprehensively instrumented.

Only this concrete full-package environment is established here. No affected-version range, current development-branch result, or patched release is asserted. Severity is **Unknown**; no CVSS score is proposed.

Separate earlier evidence reached the original Pillow 8.0.1 encoder constructor compiled as a component against a modern Python/libtiff environment. **That was not a complete Pillow 8.0.1 installation** and does not establish the historical package's full runtime behavior. It is not part of this reproducer or an affected-version range.

## Observed evidence and controls

The earlier integration harness performed the natural sequence `Image.open(BytesIO(input))`, `image.load()`, then `image.save(BytesIO(), format="TIFF")`, without replacing the image's metadata. Each case was recorded three times:

| Original fixture | Bytes | Recorded result | | --- | ---: | --- | | `colormap16` | 1685 | Loaded as `I;16`; save terminated with ASAN exit 86, READ of size 131072 crossing a 1536-byte heap region (3/3). | | `colormap8` | 1684 | Same fixed ColorMap, but 8-bit samples; save succeeded and retained SHORT/count 768 (3/3). | | `colormap_absent` | 137 | Same 16-bit geometry without ColorMap; save succeeded (3/3). |

Address-free summary of the recorded native diagnostic:

```text AddressSanitizer: heap-buffer-overflow READ of size 131072 0 bytes after 1536-byte region Copy path: memcpy -> _TIFFmemcpy -> setByteArray -> _TIFFsetShortArrayExt -> _TIFFVSetField -> TIFFVSetField -> ImagingLibTiffSetField -> PyImaging_LibTiffEncoderNew Allocation: calloc -> PyImaging_LibTiffEncoderNew ```

Input SHA-256 values (also enforced inside the script):

- `colormap16`: `5f38e0ead90b97949fb0c98c63f9c68d00ba9181db6631ecb8927376dcc75f4d` - `colormap8`: `fdb26d9135549ed44824901985086c5ee4f06515699ca3291e498c523935405c` - `colormap_absent`: `bd54979624f3ffb713342e0458caff9e17c477f940cda2f0960feebfabbc9556`

## Root cause and source references

- [Pillow `src/encode.c`, lines 870–899, pinned revision](https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/blob/bb1d8e8ab8d29048624d96e3ee53cecf7c13d13d/src/encode.c#L870): the ColorMap tuple must contain exactly 768 entries; a 1536-byte allocation is passed with a fixed stride of 256. The check does not reconcile that extent with `BitsPerSample`. - [Pillow `src/PIL/TiffImagePlugin.

py`, lines 1944–1991, pinned revision](https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/blob/bb1d8e8ab8d29048624d96e3ee53cecf7c13d13d/src/PIL/TiffImagePlugin.py#L1944): save carries supplied tags into the libtiff encoder and sorts the tags, so sample depth is established before ColorMap. - [libtiff `tif_dir.c`, lines 441–448, pinned revision](https://gitlab.

com/libtiff/libtiff/-/blob/5fe20d0e9aba49a6a350ed533459d1505203838f/libtiff/tif_dir.c#L441): `TIFFTAG_COLORMAP` computes the per-plane count as `1L td_bitspersample` and copies that many SHORTs from each pointer.

The reported boundary is Pillow's construction of a fixed-sized array for a native API whose required size depends on metadata; this does not establish a standalone libtiff defect for a correctly sized caller buffer.

## Prior art and disclosure scope

[Pillow PR #5148](https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/pull/5148), merged December 28, 2020, is related TIFF metadata prior art, but its archived diff replaces a short-lived stack field-name pointer with the persisten

Affected package ranges reported by GitHub: Pillow: <= 12.3.0

Scores and how they were measured

CVSS base severity

8.8

Version 4.0As of

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

Measurement source (opens a new tab)

How bad it is if exploited. Not a prediction of exploitation or proof you are exposed.

EPSS probability

0.5%

Scored Percentile 42.1%

Model and measurement source (opens a new tab)

A model's estimate of exploitation in the next 30 days, not certainty or your own risk.

Related technology

Sources

  1. Primary source

    GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-pchr-8j38-3x4p (opens a new tab)

    The public advisory supplies the description, affected package/version ranges, and any listed CVSS metric. GitHub review is not local review.

    Published Checked

  2. Primary source

    GitHub public advisory API page (opens a new tab)

    The API page supplied GHSA-pchr-8j38-3x4p, its actual identifiers, source dates, and structured metrics.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  3. Primary source

    GitHub public advisory API page (opens a new tab)

    The API page supplied GHSA-pchr-8j38-3x4p, its actual identifiers, source dates, and structured metrics.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  4. Primary source

    GitHub public advisory API page (opens a new tab)

    The API page supplied GHSA-pchr-8j38-3x4p, its actual identifiers, source dates, and structured metrics.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  5. Primary source

    GitHub public advisory API page (opens a new tab)

    The API page supplied GHSA-pchr-8j38-3x4p, its actual identifiers, source dates, and structured metrics.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  6. Primary source

    GitHub public advisory API page (opens a new tab)

    The API page supplied GHSA-pchr-8j38-3x4p, its actual identifiers, source dates, and structured metrics.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  7. Primary source

    GitHub public advisory API page (opens a new tab)

    The API page supplied GHSA-pchr-8j38-3x4p, its actual identifiers, source dates, and structured metrics.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  8. Primary source

    GitHub public advisory API page (opens a new tab)

    The API page supplied GHSA-pchr-8j38-3x4p, its actual identifiers, source dates, and structured metrics.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  9. Primary source

    GitHub public advisory API page (opens a new tab)

    The API page supplied GHSA-pchr-8j38-3x4p, its actual identifiers, source dates, and structured metrics.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  10. Primary source

    GitHub public advisory API page (opens a new tab)

    The API page supplied GHSA-pchr-8j38-3x4p, its actual identifiers, source dates, and structured metrics.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  11. Primary source

    GitHub public advisory API page (opens a new tab)

    The API page supplied GHSA-pchr-8j38-3x4p, its actual identifiers, source dates, and structured metrics.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  12. Primary source

    NVD CVE-2026-112896 (opens a new tab)

    NVD record: description, CVSS (the CNA score is preferred), affected products, and publication date. Not evidence of exploitation.

    Published Checked

  13. Primary source

    NVD CVE API 2.0 (opens a new tab)

    The NVD API page that supplied this CVE record.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  14. Primary source

    FIRST measured EPSS score (opens a new tab)

    Measured EPSS probability and percentile for CVE-2026-112896, scored 2026-10-26. This is a model estimate, not proof of exposure.

    Published Checked

Cite this record

For factual claims, cite the primary sources above; cite KEVWire for its compilation, dates, and classifications.

APA

KEVWire. (2026, October 20). Pillow: TIFF encoder ColorMap plane-size mismatch causes a heap out-of-bounds read (CVE-2026-112896). https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-112896

MLA

"Pillow: TIFF encoder ColorMap plane-size mismatch causes a heap out-of-bounds read (CVE-2026-112896)." KEVWire, 20 Oct. 2026, kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-112896.

Chicago

KEVWire. "Pillow: TIFF encoder ColorMap plane-size mismatch causes a heap out-of-bounds read (CVE-2026-112896)." Last modified October 20, 2026. https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-112896.

Evidence summary (plain text)

Pillow: TIFF encoder ColorMap plane-size mismatch causes a heap out-of-bounds read (Oct 20, 2026).
A small attacker-supplied TIFF can be opened and loaded normally, then reach an out-of-bounds read when an application saves it back to TIFF with retained metadata. The fixed reproducer is a 1×1, 16-bit grayscale, PackBits-compressed TIFF containing tag 320 (ColorMap) with **768 SHORT values**: three zero-filled planes of 256 entries each. No Python object is forged and no metadata is injected after loading.

Pillow's TIFF encoder allocates **768 × 2 = 1536 bytes**, then passes three plane pointers separated by 256 SHORT entries to libtiff. With `BitsPerSample = 16`, libtiff instead expects **65536 SHORT values per plane** and attempts a **131072-byte read** from a plane pointer. Existing ASAN observations identify a heap-buffer-overflow READ crossing the 1536-byte allocation made in `PyImaging_LibTiffEncoderNew`.
CVSS 8.8 (version 4.0; evidence as of Oct 20, 2026; https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-pchr-8j38-3x4p).
EPSS 0.5% for the following 30 days, scored Oct 26, 2026 (https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-112896&date=2026-10-26).
Sources:
GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-pchr-8j38-3x4p: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-pchr-8j38-3x4p
GitHub public advisory API page: https://api.github.com/advisories?type=reviewed&per_page=100&sort=updated&direction=desc&after=Y3Vyc29yOnYyOpK0MjAyNi0xMC0yMlQxNTo1Mjo1NlrOAAfxiA%3D%3D
GitHub public advisory API page: https://api.github.com/advisories?type=reviewed&per_page=100&sort=updated&direction=desc&after=Y3Vyc29yOnYyOpK0MjAyNi0xMC0yMlQxNDowNjoxNFrOAAfxZw%3D%3D
GitHub public advisory API page: https://api.github.com/advisories?type=reviewed&per_page=100&sort=updated&direction=desc&after=Y3Vyc29yOnYyOpK0MjAyNi0xMC0yMlQwODoyNzoyM1rOAAYp9A%3D%3D
GitHub public advisory API page: https://api.github.com/advisories?type=reviewed&per_page=100&sort=updated&direction=desc&after=Y3Vyc29yOnYyOpK0MjAyNi0xMC0yMVQyMTozNTo1OFrOAAfwCQ%3D%3D
GitHub public advisory API page: https://api.github.com/advisories?type=reviewed&per_page=100&sort=updated&direction=desc&after=Y3Vyc29yOnYyOpK0MjAyNi0xMC0yMVQyMTozMDoxM1rOAAfv2A%3D%3D
GitHub public advisory API page: https://api.github.com/advisories?type=reviewed&per_page=100&sort=updated&direction=desc&after=Y3Vyc29yOnYyOpK0MjAyNi0xMC0yMVQyMToyODowOVrOAAfv1g%3D%3D
GitHub public advisory API page: https://api.github.com/advisories?type=reviewed&per_page=100&sort=updated&direction=desc&after=Y3Vyc29yOnYyOpK0MjAyNi0xMC0yMVQyMToyNDoyMFrOAAfv1Q%3D%3D
GitHub public advisory API page: https://api.github.com/advisories?type=reviewed&per_page=100&sort=updated&direction=desc&after=Y3Vyc29yOnYyOpK0MjAyNi0xMC0yMVQyMDo0NTowN1rOAAfvzQ%3D%3D
GitHub public advisory API page: https://api.github.com/advisories?type=reviewed&per_page=100&sort=updated&direction=desc&after=Y3Vyc29yOnYyOpK0MjAyNi0xMC0yMVQyMDozMDoyNlrOAAfvxw%3D%3D
GitHub public advisory API page: https://api.github.com/advisories?type=reviewed&per_page=100&sort=updated&direction=desc&after=Y3Vyc29yOnYyOpK0MjAyNi0xMC0yMVQyMDowMzo1N1rOAAfvxQ%3D%3D
NVD CVE-2026-112896: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-112896
NVD CVE API 2.0: https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?pubStartDate=2026-10-12T13:35:55.142Z&pubEndDate=2026-10-26T13:35:55.142Z&resultsPerPage=500&startIndex=5500
FIRST measured EPSS score: https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-112896&date=2026-10-26
Record ID: CVE-2026-112896.
Record origin: Ingested record.
AI evidence: Not assessed.
Known exploitation: Not assessed.
Zero-day status: Not assessed. KEV membership alone does not establish zero-day status.
About this data

This record was ingested from a data source. Retrieved: Oct 27, 2026, 01:40 UTC. Ingestion is not an independent editorial investigation.

A CISA KEV listing documents known exploitation, not necessarily a zero-day; absence from the catalog does not prove a vulnerability has never been exploited.

Technology tags indicate possible relevance, not verified exposure. Confirm the affected product, version, and configuration against your own inventory; KEVWire does not scan your systems.

A personal reading checklist on this device, not verified remediation.

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