GHSA-4xfp-4pfp-89wg is a high-severity (CVSS 7.1) CWE-824 vulnerability in tensorflow. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-4xfp-4pfp-89wg is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Reference binding to nullptr in `RaggedTensorToSparse`
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
An attacker can cause undefined behavior via binding a reference to null pointer in tf.raw_ops.RaggedTensorToSparse:
import tensorflow as tf
tf.raw_ops.RaggedTensorToSparse(
rt_nested_splits=[[0, 38, 0]],
rt_dense_values=[])
The implementation has an incomplete validation of the splits values: it does not check that they are in increasing order.
Patches
We have patched the issue in GitHub commit 1071f554dbd09f7e101324d366eec5f4fe5a3ece.
The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.6.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.5.1, TensorFlow 2.4.3, and TensorFlow 2.3.4, 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 members of the Aivul Team from Qihoo 360.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | all versions | 2.3.4 |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.4.0&&< 2.4.3 | 2.4.3 |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.5.0&&< 2.5.1 | 2.5.1 |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-cpu | all versions | 2.3.4 |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-cpu | ≥ 2.4.0&&< 2.4.3 | 2.4.3 |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-cpu | ≥ 2.5.0&&< 2.5.1 | 2.5.1 |
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 2.3.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-4xfp-4pfp-89wg 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 GHSA-4xfp-4pfp-89wg 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 GHSA-4xfp-4pfp-89wg. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-4xfp-4pfp-89wg in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-4xfp-4pfp-89wg across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.