GHSA-cmgw-8vpc-rc59
MEDIUMSegfault on strings tensors with mistmatched dimensions, due to Go code
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Blast Radius
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
Under certain conditions, Go code can trigger a segfault in string deallocation.
For string tensors, C.TF_TString_Dealloc is called during garbage collection within a finalizer function. However, tensor structure isn't checked until encoding to avoid a performance penalty. The current method for dealloc assumes that encoding succeeded, but segfaults when a string tensor is garbage collected whose encoding failed (e.g., due to mismatched dimensions).
To fix this, the call to set the finalizer function is deferred until NewTensor returns and, if encoding failed for a string tensor, deallocs are determined based on bytes written.
Patches
We have patched the issue in GitHub commit 8721ba96e5760c229217b594f6d2ba332beedf22 (merging #50508).
The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.6.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.5.1, which is the other affected version.
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 externally via a fixing PR.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.5.0rc0&&< 2.5.1 | 2.5.1 |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-cpu | ≥ 2.5.0rc0&&< 2.5.1 | 2.5.1 |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-gpu | ≥ 2.5.0rc0&&< 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 2.5.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-cmgw-8vpc-rc59 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-cmgw-8vpc-rc59 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-cmgw-8vpc-rc59. 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-cmgw-8vpc-rc59 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-cmgw-8vpc-rc59 across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.