CVE-2014-1933: Pillow Pillow Temporary File Name Leakage Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-r854-96gq-rfg3
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CVSS 4.0
CWE-200
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2014-1933 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.0) pillow temporary file name leakage vulnerability (CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) affecting Pillow libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves pillow temporary file name leakage. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.3.1.

CVE-2014-1933 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2014-1933
GHSA Identifier GHSA-r854-96gq-rfg3
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.0
CWE Classification CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
Affected Product Pillow
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.0

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2014-1933

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Pillow dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

pillow fixed: 2.3.1 
pip install pillow>=2.3.1
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

pip show pillow

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2014-1933, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show pillow

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Pillow in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.3.1), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show pillow command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor, where the product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information. In Pillow, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

The (1) JpegImagePlugin.py and (2) EpsImagePlugin.py scripts in Python Image Library (PIL) 1.1.7 and earlier and Pillow before 2.3.1 uses the names of temporary files on the command line, which makes it easier for local users to conduct symlink attacks by listing the processes.

CVE-2014-1933 Affected Pillow Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.3.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
pillow
pypi/pillow
PyPI
< 2.3.1
2.3.1

References

NVD — CVE-2014-1933 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-1933
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/python-imaging/Pillow/commit/4e9f367dfd3f04c8f5d23f7f759ec12782e10ee7
Pillow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/pillow/PYSEC-2014-23.yaml
Pillow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/python-imaging/Pillow
Pillow Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201612-52
lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/20... WEB
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2014-05/msg00002.html
Pillow Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/02/10/15
Pillow Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/02/11/1
www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-2168-1 WEB
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2168-1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2014-1933?
CVE-2014-1933 is a security vulnerability in Pillow involving Pillow Temporary file name leakage under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor.
Which Pillow versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.3.1 across affected packages: pillow.
What version fixes CVE-2014-1933?
Upgrading to 2.3.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is pillow affected?
Yes, pillow is affected in releases prior to 2.3.1. Upgrade your dependency to 2.3.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2014-1933?
CVE-2014-1933 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.0 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2014-1933?
CVE-2014-1933 is classified under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor (The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2014-1933?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show pillow'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-r854-96gq-rfg3",
  "modified" : "2025-04-13T23:22:51Z",
  "published" : "2020-05-18T17:41:19Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2014-1933" ],
  "summary" : "Pillow Temporary file name leakage",
  "details" : "The (1) JpegImagePlugin.py and (2) EpsImagePlugin.py scripts in Python Image Library (PIL) 1.1.7 and earlier and Pillow before 2.3.1 uses the names of temporary files on the command line, which makes it easier for local users to conduct symlink attacks by listing the processes.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "pillow"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.3.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-1933"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/python-imaging/Pillow/commit/4e9f367dfd3f04c8f5d23f7f759ec12782e10ee7"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/pillow/PYSEC-2014-23.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/python-imaging/Pillow"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201612-52"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2014-05/msg00002.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/02/10/15"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/02/11/1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2168-1"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-05-18T17:41:04Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2014-04-17T14:55:11Z"
  }
}