PillowApplication · Python
CVE-2020-35654
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIn Pillow before 8.1.0, TiffDecode has a heap-based buffer overflow when decoding crafted YCbCr files because of certain interpretation conflicts with LibTIFF in RGBA mode.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidencePillow before 8.1.0 contains a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the TiffDecode function when decoding crafted YCbCr files. The overflow occurs due to interpretation conflicts between how Pillow handles YCbCr data and how LibTIFF interprets the same data in RGBA mode, potentially allowing remote code execution or denial of service.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
PillowApplication
< 8.1.0
FedoraOperating system
= 32= 33CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed Pillow versionRun `python -c "import PIL; print(PIL.__version__)"` or `pip show pillow` to get the installed version numberAffected if Version is lower than 8.1.0 (for example, 8.0.0, 7.x.x, 6.x.x)
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Identify TIFF image processing in your environmentSearch your codebase and imported dependencies for usage of PIL/Pillow's Image.open() with .tif or .tiff files, or grep for 'TiffImagePlugin' referencesAffected if Your code or dependencies open, decode, or process TIFF image files
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Verify if YCbCr color mode is involvedSearch for explicit use of YCbCr color mode in image processing (Image.convert('YCbCr') or mode='YCbCr') or check if your application processes YCbCr-encoded TIFF files from external sourcesAffected if Your application handles or converts images to YCbCr color space, particularly in TIFF format
You are affected if Pillow version is below 8.1.0 AND your environment decodes or processes TIFF files, especially those using YCbCr encoding, since the heap overflow occurs in the TiffDecode function when handling YCbCr data.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor data8.1.0
Upgrade Pillow to version 8.1.0 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Organizations using affected versions should prioritize this upgrade given the high CVSS score and heap overflow severity.
Fix this in Pillow
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,520.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-35654 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-35654 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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