CVE-2023-25661 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.5) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in tensorflow. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2023-25661 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Denial of Service in TensorFlow
Real-World Exposure
tensorflow🐍tensorflow-cpuReal-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
TensorFlow is an Open Source Machine Learning Framework. In versions prior to 2.11.1 a malicious invalid input crashes a tensorflow model (Check Failed) and can be used to trigger a denial of service attack. A proof of concept can be constructed with the Convolution3DTranspose function. This Convolution3DTranspose layer is a very common API in modern neural networks. The ML models containing such vulnerable components could be deployed in ML applications or as cloud services. This failure could be potentially used to trigger a denial of service attack on ML cloud services. An attacker must have privilege to provide input to a Convolution3DTranspose call. This issue has been patched and users are advised to upgrade to version 2.11.1. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | all versions | 2.11.1 |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-cpu | all versions | 2.11.1 |
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 2.11.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-25661 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-2023-25661 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-2023-25661. 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-2023-25661 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2023-25661 across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.