CVE-2023-25665 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability in tensorflow. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for tensorflow — see the affected versions and patch details below.
TensorFlow has Null Pointer Error in SparseSparseMaximum
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.
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-25665.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
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
When SparseSparseMaximum is given invalid sparse tensors as inputs, it can give an NPE.
import tensorflow as tf
tf.raw_ops.SparseSparseMaximum(
a_indices=[[1]],
a_values =[ 0.1 ],
a_shape = [2],
b_indices=[[]],
b_values =[2 ],
b_shape = [2],
)
Patches
We have patched the issue in GitHub commit 5e0ecfb42f5f65629fd7a4edd6c4afe7ff0feb04.
The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.12. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.11.1.
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 | 2.11.1pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.11.1' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-cpu | all versions | 2.11.1pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow-cpu==2.11.1' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-gpu | all versions | 2.11.1pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow-gpu==2.11.1' |
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 2.11.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-25665 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-2023-25665 in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.