Docling simplifies document processing by parsing diverse formats and providing integrations with the generative AI ecosystem. From 2.16.0 until 2.131.0, the InputFormat.JSON_DOCLING backend in docling/backend/json/docling_json_backend.py validates serialized DoclingDocument input without rejecting picture image references that contain local paths or file URIs. When the document is enriched or exported with ImageRefMode.EMBEDDED, the DoclingDocument._with_embedded_pictures and ImageRef.pil_image methods can open those references and place readable image bytes in Markdown or HTML output. Disclosure is limited to files Pillow can decode as images, while differing decode behavior can also reveal whether a path exists. Direct untrusted loading through docling-core is outside this Docling fix. This issue is fixed in 2.131.0.