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GHSA-9xh4-23q4-v6wr

LOWFix: tensorflow/tensorflow@6972f9d

GHSA-9xh4-23q4-v6wr is a low-severity (CVSS 2.5) NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability in tensorflow. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-9xh4-23q4-v6wr is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.

Heap buffer overflow and undefined behavior in `FusedBatchNorm`

Also known asBIT-tensorflow-2021-29583CVE-2021-29583PYSEC-2021-220PYSEC-2021-511PYSEC-2021-709
Published
May 21, 2021
Updated
Jul 8, 2026
Affected
12 pkgs
Patched
12 / 12
Exploits
1 known
Exploitation data as of Jul 8, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Real-World Exposure

12 pkgs affected
🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-cpu+4 more

Real-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 implementation of tf.raw_ops.FusedBatchNorm is vulnerable to a heap buffer overflow:

import tensorflow as tf

x = tf.zeros([10, 10, 10, 6], dtype=tf.float32)
scale = tf.constant([0.0], shape=[1], dtype=tf.float32)
offset = tf.constant([0.0], shape=[1], dtype=tf.float32)
mean = tf.constant([0.0], shape=[1], dtype=tf.float32)
variance = tf.constant([0.0], shape=[1], dtype=tf.float32)
epsilon = 0.0
exponential_avg_factor = 0.0
data_format = "NHWC"
is_training = False
    
tf.raw_ops.FusedBatchNorm(
  x=x, scale=scale, offset=offset, mean=mean, variance=variance,
  epsilon=epsilon, exponential_avg_factor=exponential_avg_factor,
  data_format=data_format, is_training=is_training)

If the tensors are empty, the same implementation can trigger undefined behavior by dereferencing null pointers:

import tensorflow as tf
import numpy as np

x = tf.zeros([10, 10, 10, 1], dtype=tf.float32)
scale = tf.constant([], shape=[0], dtype=tf.float32)
offset = tf.constant([], shape=[0], dtype=tf.float32)
mean = tf.constant([], shape=[0], dtype=tf.float32)
variance = tf.constant([], shape=[0], dtype=tf.float32)
epsilon = 0.0
exponential_avg_factor = 0.0
data_format = "NHWC"
is_training = False

tf.raw_ops.FusedBatchNorm(
  x=x, scale=scale, offset=offset, mean=mean, variance=variance, 
  epsilon=epsilon, exponential_avg_factor=exponential_avg_factor,
  data_format=data_format, is_training=is_training)

The implementation fails to validate that scale, offset, mean and variance (the last two only when required) all have the same number of elements as the number of channels of x. This results in heap out of bounds reads when the buffers backing these tensors are indexed past their boundary.

If the tensors are empty, the validation mentioned in the above paragraph would also trigger and prevent the undefined behavior.

Patches

We have patched the issue in GitHub commit 6972f9dfe325636b3db4e0bc517ee22a159365c0.

The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.5.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.4.2, TensorFlow 2.3.3, TensorFlow 2.2.3 and TensorFlow 2.1.4, 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 Ying Wang and Yakun Zhang of Baidu X-Team.

Affected Packages

12 total 12 fixed
EcosystemPackageVulnerable rangeFix
🐍PyPItensorflowall versions2.1.4
🐍PyPItensorflow2.2.0&&< 2.2.32.2.3
🐍PyPItensorflow2.3.0&&< 2.3.32.3.3
🐍PyPItensorflow2.4.0&&< 2.4.22.4.2
🐍PyPItensorflow-cpuall versions2.1.4
🐍PyPItensorflow-cpu2.2.0&&< 2.2.32.2.3
Exploits & PoCs
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 dependency
  1. Detect

    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.

  2. Fix

    Update tensorflow to 2.1.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-9xh4-23q4-v6wr is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

  3. 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.

  4. How O3 protects you

    O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-9xh4-23q4-v6wr 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-9xh4-23q4-v6wr. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

### Impact The implementation of `tf.raw_ops.FusedBatchNorm` is vulnerable to a heap buffer overflow: ```python import tensorflow as tf x = tf.zeros([10, 10, 10, 6], dtype=tf.float32) scale = tf.constant([0.0], shape=[1], dtype=tf.float32) offset = tf.constant([0.0], shape=[1], dtype=tf.float32) mean = tf.constant([0.0], shape=[1], dtype=tf.float32) variance = tf.constant([0.0], shape=[1], dtype=tf.float32) epsilon = 0.0 exponential_avg_factor = 0.0 data_format = "NHWC" is_training = False tf.raw_ops.FusedBatchNorm( x=x, scale=scale, offset=offset, mean=mean, variance=variance,
O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is GHSA-9xh4-23q4-v6wr in your dependencies?

O3 detects GHSA-9xh4-23q4-v6wr across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

GHSA-9xh4-23q4-v6wr: tensorflow Memory… | O3 Security