CVE-2021-29544 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.5) CWE-754 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.
CHECK-fail in `QuantizeAndDequantizeV4Grad`
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2021-29544 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-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
Impact
An attacker can trigger a denial of service via a CHECK-fail in tf.raw_ops.QuantizeAndDequantizeV4Grad:
import tensorflow as tf
gradient_tensor = tf.constant([0.0], shape=[1])
input_tensor = tf.constant([0.0], shape=[1])
input_min = tf.constant([[0.0]], shape=[1, 1])
input_max = tf.constant([[0.0]], shape=[1, 1])
tf.raw_ops.QuantizeAndDequantizeV4Grad(
gradients=gradient_tensor, input=input_tensor,
input_min=input_min, input_max=input_max, axis=0)
This is because the implementation does not validate the rank of the input_* tensors. In turn, this results in the tensors being passes as they are to QuantizeAndDequantizePerChannelGradientImpl:
template <typename Device, typename T>
struct QuantizeAndDequantizePerChannelGradientImpl {
static void Compute(const Device& d,
typename TTypes<T, 3>::ConstTensor gradient,
typename TTypes<T, 3>::ConstTensor input,
const Tensor* input_min_tensor,
const Tensor* input_max_tensor,
typename TTypes<T, 3>::Tensor input_backprop,
typename TTypes<T>::Flat input_min_backprop,
typename TTypes<T>::Flat input_max_backprop) {
...
auto input_min = input_min_tensor->vec<T>();
auto input_max = input_max_tensor->vec<T>();
...
}
However, the vec<T> method, requires the rank to 1 and triggers a CHECK failure otherwise.
Patches
We have patched the issue in GitHub commit 20431e9044cf2ad3c0323c34888b192f3289af6b.
The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.5.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.4.2 as this is the only other affected version.
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 Yakun Zhang and Ying Wang of Baidu X-Team.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.4.0&&< 2.4.2 | 2.4.2pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.4.2' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-cpu | ≥ 2.4.0&&< 2.4.2 | 2.4.2pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow-cpu==2.4.2' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-gpu | ≥ 2.4.0&&< 2.4.2 | 2.4.2pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow-gpu==2.4.2' |
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 2.4.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-29544 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Cap what an attacker can consume: apply request size, rate and timeout limits in front of the affected component, and run it with memory and CPU limits so exhaustion degrades one worker rather than the whole service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2021-29544 in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.