GHSA-f78g-q7r4-9wcv is a low-severity (CVSS 2.5) CWE-369 vulnerability in tensorflow. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for tensorflow — see the affected versions and patch details below.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-f78g-q7r4-9wcv by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,738 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-cpu+4 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 a runtime division by zero error and denial of service in tf.raw_ops.FractionalAvgPool:
import tensorflow as tf
value = tf.constant([60], shape=[1, 1, 1, 1], dtype=tf.int32)
pooling_ratio = [1.0, 1.0000014345305555, 1.0, 1.0]
pseudo_random = False
overlapping = False
deterministic = False
seed = 0
seed2 = 0
tf.raw_ops.FractionalAvgPool(
value=value, pooling_ratio=pooling_ratio, pseudo_random=pseudo_random,
overlapping=overlapping, deterministic=deterministic, seed=seed, seed2=seed2)
This is because the implementation computes a divisor quantity by dividing two user controlled values:
for (int i = 0; i < tensor_in_and_out_dims; ++i) {
output_size[i] = static_cast<int>(std::floor(input_size[i] / pooling_ratio_[i]));
DCHECK_GT(output_size[i], 0);
}
The user controls the values of input_size[i] and pooling_ratio_[i] (via the value.shape() and pooling_ratio arguments). If the value in input_size[i] is smaller than the pooling_ratio_[i], then the floor operation results in output_size[i] being 0. The DCHECK_GT line is a no-op outside of debug mode, so in released versions of TF this does not trigger.
Later, these computed values are used as arguments to GeneratePoolingSequence. There, the first computation is a division in a modulo operation:
std::vector<int64> GeneratePoolingSequence(int input_length, int output_length,
GuardedPhiloxRandom* generator,
bool pseudo_random) {
...
if (input_length % output_length == 0) {
diff = std::vector<int64>(output_length, input_length / output_length);
}
...
}
Since output_length can be 0, this results in runtime crashing.
Patches
We have patched the issue in GitHub commit 548b5eaf23685d86f722233d8fbc21d0a4aecb96.
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
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | all versions | 2.1.4pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.1.4' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.2.0&&< 2.2.3 | 2.2.3pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.2.3' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.3.0&&< 2.3.3 | 2.3.3pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.3.3' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.4.0&&< 2.4.2 | 2.4.2pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.4.2' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-cpu | all versions | 2.1.4pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow-cpu==2.1.4' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-cpu | ≥ 2.2.0&&< 2.2.3 | 2.2.3pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow-cpu==2.2.3' |
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 2.1.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-f78g-q7r4-9wcv is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Cap what an attacker can consume: apply request size, rate and timeout limits in front of the affected component, and run it with memory and CPU limits so exhaustion degrades one worker rather than the whole service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-f78g-q7r4-9wcv in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.