CVE-2023-50447: Pillow Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3f63-hfp8-52jq
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CVSS 8.1
CWE-94 CWE-95
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-50447 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 8.1) arbitrary code execution vulnerability (CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')) affecting Pillow libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves arbitrary code execution in pillow. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 10.2.0.

CVE-2023-50447 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-50447
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3f63-hfp8-52jq
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
Affected Product Pillow
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2023-50447

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: 10.2.0 
pip install Pillow>=10.2.0
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-2023-50447, 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 10.2.0), 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-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment. 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

Pillow through 10.1.0 allows PIL.ImageMath.eval Arbitrary Code Execution via the environment parameter, a different vulnerability than CVE-2022-22817 (which was about the expression parameter).

CVE-2023-50447 Affected Pillow Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
10.2.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
Pillow
pypi/Pillow
PyPI
< 10.2.0
10.2.0

References

NVD — CVE-2023-50447 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-50447
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/commit/45c726fd4daa63236a8f3653530f297dc87b160a
devhub.checkmarx.com/cve-details/cve-202... WEB
https://devhub.checkmarx.com/cve-details/CVE-2023-50447
duartecsantos.github.io/2023-01-02-cve-2023... WEB
https://duartecsantos.github.io/2023-01-02-CVE-2023-50447
duartecsantos.github.io/2024-01-02-cve-2023... WEB
https://duartecsantos.github.io/2024-01-02-CVE-2023-50447
Pillow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow
Pillow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/releases
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/01/msg00019.html
Pillow Release RELEASE
https://pillow.readthedocs.io/en/stable/releasenotes/10.2.0.html#security
Pillow Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/01/20/1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-50447?
CVE-2023-50447 is a security vulnerability in Pillow involving Arbitrary Code Execution in Pillow under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection').
Which Pillow versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 10.2.0 across affected packages: Pillow.
What version fixes CVE-2023-50447?
Upgrading to 10.2.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is Pillow affected?
Yes, Pillow is affected in releases prior to 10.2.0. Upgrade your dependency to 10.2.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-50447?
CVE-2023-50447 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-50447?
CVE-2023-50447 is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2023-50447?
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 
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  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-3f63-hfp8-52jq",
  "modified" : "2024-11-18T16:26:35Z",
  "published" : "2024-01-19T21:30:35Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-50447" ],
  "summary" : "Arbitrary Code Execution in Pillow",
  "details" : "Pillow through 10.1.0 allows PIL.ImageMath.eval Arbitrary Code Execution via the environment parameter, a different vulnerability than CVE-2022-22817 (which was about the expression parameter).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
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  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
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  } ],
  "references" : [ {
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  }, {
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    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://devhub.checkmarx.com/cve-details/CVE-2023-50447"
  }, {
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    "url" : "https://duartecsantos.github.io/2023-01-02-CVE-2023-50447"
  }, {
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  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
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  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-94", "CWE-95" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-01-22T21:28:18Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2024-01-19T20:15:11Z"
  }
}