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CVE-2026-96642

6.5 · MEDIUM

Pillow is a Python imaging library.

Published Oct 21, 2026pythonCWE-835EPSS 0.34%

Overview

CVE-2026-96642 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting python pillow. It was published on October 21, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.5 (MEDIUM).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.5, rated MEDIUM. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

Technical description

Pillow is a Python imaging library. Prior to 13.0.0, the TarIO initializer in src/PIL/TarIO.py accepts a negative octal member size and computes a backward seek that returns to the same 512-byte header. When the requested member name does not match, the parser repeatedly reads that header, consumes a full CPU core, and never returns. TarIO is reached only when an application directly uses PIL.TarIO.TarIO rather than the default Image.open() path. This issue is fixed in version 13.0.0.

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from python. Update pillow to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

Affected products

VendorProductVersionsStatus
pythonpillow>= 0, < 13.0.0Affected

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-96642?

CVE-2026-96642 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting python pillow. It was published on October 21, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2026-96642?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.5, rated MEDIUM. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2026-96642?

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from python. Update pillow to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2026-96642?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2026-96642 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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