CVE-2020-15202 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9) CWE-197 vulnerability in tensorflow. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for tensorflow — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Integer truncation in Shard API usage
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-cpu+7 moreReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Impact
The Shard API in TensorFlow expects the last argument to be a function taking two int64 (i.e., long long) arguments:
https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/0e68f4d3295eb0281a517c3662f6698992b7b2cf/tensorflow/core/util/work_sharder.h#L59-L60
However, there are several places in TensorFlow where a lambda taking int or int32 arguments is being used:
https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/0e68f4d3295eb0281a517c3662f6698992b7b2cf/tensorflow/core/kernels/random_op.cc#L204-L205
https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/0e68f4d3295eb0281a517c3662f6698992b7b2cf/tensorflow/core/kernels/random_op.cc#L317-L318
In these cases, if the amount of work to be parallelized is large enough, integer truncation occurs. Depending on how the two arguments of the lambda are used, this can result in segfaults, read/write outside of heap allocated arrays, stack overflows, or data corruption.
Patches
We have patched the issue in 27b417360cbd671ef55915e4bb6bb06af8b8a832 and ca8c013b5e97b1373b3bb1c97ea655e69f31a575. We will release patch releases for all versions between 1.15 and 2.3.
We recommend users to upgrade to TensorFlow 1.15.4, 2.0.3, 2.1.2, 2.2.1, or 2.3.1.
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 members of the Aivul Team from Qihoo 360.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | all versions | 1.15.4pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==1.15.4' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.0.3 | 2.0.3pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.0.3' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.1.0&&< 2.1.2 | 2.1.2pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.1.2' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.2.0&&< 2.2.1 | 2.2.1pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.2.1' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.3.0&&< 2.3.1 | 2.3.1pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.3.1' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-cpu | all versions | 1.15.4pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow-cpu==1.15.4' |
Affected Products
tensorflowgoogleleapopensuseResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for tensorflow, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update tensorflow to 1.15.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-15202 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Constrain what reaches the vulnerable code: limit the size and shape of untrusted input, isolate the affected component in a sandboxed or least-privileged process, and enable the platform's memory-safety mitigations (ASLR, stack protector, hardened allocator) so an out-of-bounds access is more likely to fail closed than to be exploitable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-15202 in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.