CVE-2021-29532 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.1) Out-of-bounds Read vulnerability in tensorflow. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for tensorflow — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Heap out of bounds read in `RaggedCross`
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2021-29532 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,738 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-cpu+4 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
An attacker can force accesses outside the bounds of heap allocated arrays by passing in invalid tensor values to tf.raw_ops.RaggedCross:
import tensorflow as tf
ragged_values = []
ragged_row_splits = []
sparse_indices = []
sparse_values = []
sparse_shape = []
dense_inputs_elem = tf.constant([], shape=[92, 0], dtype=tf.int64)
dense_inputs = [dense_inputs_elem]
input_order = "R"
hashed_output = False
num_buckets = 0
hash_key = 0
tf.raw_ops.RaggedCross(ragged_values=ragged_values,
ragged_row_splits=ragged_row_splits,
sparse_indices=sparse_indices,
sparse_values=sparse_values,
sparse_shape=sparse_shape,
dense_inputs=dense_inputs,
input_order=input_order,
hashed_output=hashed_output,
num_buckets=num_buckets,
hash_key=hash_key,
out_values_type=tf.int64,
out_row_splits_type=tf.int64)
This is because the implementation lacks validation for the user supplied arguments:
int next_ragged = 0;
int next_sparse = 0;
int next_dense = 0;
for (char c : input_order_) {
if (c == 'R') {
TF_RETURN_IF_ERROR(BuildRaggedFeatureReader(
ragged_values_list[next_ragged], ragged_splits_list[next_ragged],
features));
next_ragged++;
} else if (c == 'S') {
TF_RETURN_IF_ERROR(BuildSparseFeatureReader(
sparse_indices_list[next_sparse], sparse_values_list[next_sparse],
batch_size, features));
next_sparse++;
} else if (c == 'D') {
TF_RETURN_IF_ERROR(
BuildDenseFeatureReader(dense_list[next_dense++], features));
}
...
}
Each of the above branches call a helper function after accessing array elements via a *_list[next_*] pattern, followed by incrementing the next_* index. However, as there is no validation that the next_* values are in the valid range for the corresponding *_list arrays, this results in heap OOB reads.
Patches
We have patched the issue in GitHub commit 44b7f486c0143f68b56c34e2d01e146ee445134a.
The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.5.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.4.2, TensorFlow 2.3.3, TensorFlow 2.2.3 and TensorFlow 2.1.4, 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 Ying Wang and Yakun Zhang of Baidu X-Team.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | all versions | 2.1.4pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.1.4' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.2.0&&< 2.2.3 | 2.2.3pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.2.3' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.3.0&&< 2.3.3 | 2.3.3pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.3.3' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.4.0&&< 2.4.2 | 2.4.2pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.4.2' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-cpu | all versions | 2.1.4pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow-cpu==2.1.4' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-cpu | ≥ 2.2.0&&< 2.2.3 | 2.2.3pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow-cpu==2.2.3' |
Affected Products
tensorflowgoogleResearch 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 2.1.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-29532 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Stop feeding it untrusted input: reject or quarantine files and payloads from unverified sources until you can upgrade, restrict accepted formats to the ones you actually need, and run the parsing or decoding step in a least-privileged sandbox or short-lived worker so a crash or corrupted read cannot reach the rest of the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2021-29532 in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.