CVE-2026-59205
Description
A flaw was found in Pillow, a Python imaging library. This vulnerability allows an attacker to trigger controlled native heap corruption by supplying an output image whose mode does not match the transform's declared output mode when using the ImageCms.ImageCmsTransform.apply API. This can lead to a denial of service (DoS) condition, making the affected system or application unavailable.
Statement
The impact is limited to denial of service. While the underlying issue is heap corruption via mode mismatch, it does not provide a controlled write primitive exploitable for code execution in affected Red Hat products.
Mitigation
Most applications using Pillow's color management via profileToProfile() or applyTransform() are not exposed. Only code that calls ImageCmsTransform.apply() directly with a user-controlled output image whose mode does not match the transform can trigger the heap corruption. Audit your code for direct apply() calls to confirm.
RHEL builds ship with ASLR, full RELRO/PIE, and FORTIFY_SOURCE by default, making escalation from crash to code execution much harder. For DoS containment, configure automatic service restart (Restart=always in systemd, or container restart policies) so the process recovers without manual intervention.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 7.5 | N/A | 7.5 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability,Integrity,Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Memory; Modify Memory; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
When a memory buffer is accessed using the wrong type, it could read or write memory out of the bounds of the buffer, if the allocated buffer is smaller than the type that the code is attempting to access, leading to a crash and possibly code execution.
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