Assertion failure based denial of service in Tensorflow
Impact
The implementation of *Bincount operations allows malicious users to cause denial of service by passing in arguments which would trigger a CHECK-fail:
import tensorflow as tf
tf.raw_ops.DenseBincount(
input=[[0], [1], [2]],
size=[1],
weights=[3,2,1],
binary_output=False)
There are several conditions that the input arguments must satisfy. Some are not caught during shape inference and others are not caught during kernel implementation. This results in CHECK failures later when the output tensors get allocated.
Patches
We have patched the issue in GitHub commit 7019ce4f68925fd01cdafde26f8d8c938f47e6f9.
The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.8.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.7.1, TensorFlow 2.6.3, and TensorFlow 2.5.3, as these are also affected and still in supported range.
For more information
Please consult our security guide for more information regarding the security model and how to contact us with issues and questions.
Attribution
This vulnerability has been reported by Faysal Hossain Shezan from University of Virginia.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python (PyPI) | tensorflow | < 2.5.3, >= 2.6.0, < 2.6.3, >= 2.7.0, < 2.7.1 | 2.5.3, 2.6.3, 2.7.1 |
| Python (PyPI) | tensorflow-cpu | < 2.5.3, >= 2.6.0, < 2.6.3, >= 2.7.0, < 2.7.1 | 2.5.3, 2.6.3, 2.7.1 |
| Python (PyPI) | tensorflow-gpu | < 2.5.3, >= 2.6.0, < 2.6.3, >= 2.7.0, < 2.7.1 | 2.5.3, 2.6.3, 2.7.1 |
References
- https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/7019ce4f68925fd01cdafde26f8d8c938f47e6f9
- https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/5100e359aef5c8021f2e71c7b986420b85ce7b3d/tensorflow/core/kernels/bincount_op.cc
- https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/security/advisories/GHSA-f2vv-v9cg-qhh7
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-21737
- https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/tensorflow-cpu/PYSEC-2022-61.yaml
- https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/tensorflow-gpu/PYSEC-2022-116.yaml
- https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow
- https://pypi.org/project/tensorflow
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-f2vv-v9cg-qhh7
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-617, CWE-754- Platform
- Python (PyPI)
- Package
tensorflow, tensorflow-cpu, tensorflow-gpu- Disclosed
- 03.02.2022
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 15:17
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2022-61 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2022-116 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2026-3164 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-f2vv-v9cg-qhh7 - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: tensorflow-cpu
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Python (PyPI)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 430
- First → latest
- 04.2019 07.2024
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 6
- High 111
- Medium 208
- Low 105
Disclosures per year
- 2019: 7
- 2020: 35
- 2021: 200
- 2022: 166
- 2023: 21
- 2024: 1
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 0
-
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