CVE-2020-15265 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) Out-of-bounds Read vulnerability in tensorflow. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2020-15265 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Segfault in `tf.quantization.quantize_and_dequantize`
Real-World Exposure
tensorflow🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-gpuReal-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
In Tensorflow before version 2.4.0, an attacker can pass an invalid axis value to tf.quantization.quantize_and_dequantize. This results in accessing a dimension outside the rank of the input tensor in the C++ kernel implementation. However, dim_size only does a DCHECK to validate the argument and then uses it to access the corresponding element of an array. Since in normal builds, DCHECK-like macros are no-ops, this results in segfault and access out of bounds of the array. The issue is patched in eccb7ec454e6617738554a255d77f08e60ee0808 and TensorFlow 2.4.0 will be released containing the patch. TensorFlow nightly packages after this commit will also have the issue resolved.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | all versions | 2.4.0 |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-cpu | all versions | 2.4.0 |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-gpu | all versions | 2.4.0 |
Research 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. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update tensorflow to 2.4.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-15265 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2020-15265 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2020-15265. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-15265 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2020-15265 across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.