CVE-2022-21725 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.5) CWE-369 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.
Division by zero in Tensorflow
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2022-21725.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2022-21725 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,386 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-cpu🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-gpu🐍tensorflow-gpu+1 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 estimator for the cost of some convolution operations can be made to execute a division by 0:
import tensorflow as tf
@tf.function
def test():
y=tf.raw_ops.AvgPoolGrad(
orig_input_shape=[1,1,1,1],
grad=[[[[1.0],[1.0],[1.0]]],[[[2.0],[2.0],[2.0]]],[[[3.0],[3.0],[3.0]]]],
ksize=[1,1,1,1],
strides=[1,1,1,0],
padding='VALID',
data_format='NCHW')
return y
test()
The function fails to check that the stride argument is stricly positive:
int64_t GetOutputSize(const int64_t input, const int64_t filter,
const int64_t stride, const Padding& padding) {
// Logic for calculating output shape is from GetWindowedOutputSizeVerbose()
// function in third_party/tensorflow/core/framework/common_shape_fns.cc.
if (padding == Padding::VALID) {
return (input - filter + stride) / stride;
} else { // SAME.
return (input + stride - 1) / stride;
}
}
Hence, the fix is to add a check for the stride argument to ensure it is valid.
Patches
We have patched the issue in GitHub commit 3218043d6d3a019756607643cf65574fbfef5d7a.
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 Yu Tian of Qihoo 360 AIVul Team.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | all versions | 2.5.3pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.5.3' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.6.0&&< 2.6.3 | 2.6.3pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.6.3' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.7.0&&< 2.7.1 | 2.7.1pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.7.1' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-cpu | all versions | 2.5.3pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow-cpu==2.5.3' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-cpu | ≥ 2.6.0&&< 2.6.3 | 2.6.3pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow-cpu==2.6.3' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-cpu | ≥ 2.7.0&&< 2.7.1 | 2.7.1pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow-cpu==2.7.1' |
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 2.5.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-21725 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2022-21725 in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.