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HIGH severity

Unitialized access in `EinsumHelper::ParseEquation`GHSA-j86v-p27c-73fm

HIGHFix: tensorflow/tensorflow@f09caa5

GHSA-j86v-p27c-73fm is a high-severity (CVSS 7.8) CWE-824 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.

Also known asBIT-tensorflow-2021-41201CVE-2021-41201PYSEC-2021-394PYSEC-2021-611PYSEC-2021-809
Published
Updated
Affected
9 pkgs
Patched
9 / 9
Exploits
1 known
Exploitation data as of Oct 9, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗
0.2%probability of exploitation in next 30 days
Lower Risk0.00%
Lower risk than most CVEs15th percentile — riskier than 15% of all scored CVEsHighest risk
0.00%0.25%0.50%0.75%0.0%0.2%Apr 26Aug 26Oct 26

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

GHSA-j86v-p27c-73fm by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 384,993 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.

Real-World Exposure

9 pkgs affected
🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-gpu🐍tensorflow-gpu+1 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

During execution, EinsumHelper::ParseEquation() is supposed to set the flags in input_has_ellipsis vector and *output_has_ellipsis boolean to indicate whether there is ellipsis in the corresponding inputs and output.

However, the code only changes these flags to true and never assigns false.

for (int i = 0; i < num_inputs; ++i) {
  input_label_counts->at(i).resize(num_labels);
  for (const int label : input_labels->at(i)) {
    if (label != kEllipsisLabel)
      input_label_counts->at(i)[label] += 1;
    else
      input_has_ellipsis->at(i) = true;
  }
}
output_label_counts->resize(num_labels);
for (const int label : *output_labels) {
  if (label != kEllipsisLabel)
    output_label_counts->at(label) += 1;
  else
    *output_has_ellipsis = true;
}

This results in unitialized variable access if callers assume that EinsumHelper::ParseEquation() always sets these flags.

Patches

We have patched the issue in GitHub commit f09caa532b6e1ac8d2aa61b7832c78c5b79300c6.

The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.7.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.6.1, TensorFlow 2.5.2, and TensorFlow 2.4.4, 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.

Affected Packages

9 total 9 fixed
EcosystemPackageVulnerable rangeFix
🐍PyPItensorflow≥ 2.6.0&&< 2.6.12.6.1pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.6.1'
🐍PyPItensorflow≥ 2.5.0&&< 2.5.22.5.2pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.5.2'
🐍PyPItensorflowall versions2.4.4pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.4.4'
🐍PyPItensorflow-cpu≥ 2.6.0&&< 2.6.12.6.1pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow-cpu==2.6.1'
🐍PyPItensorflow-cpu≥ 2.5.0&&< 2.5.22.5.2pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow-cpu==2.5.2'
🐍PyPItensorflow-cpuall versions2.4.4pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow-cpu==2.4.4'

Affected Products

1 product · 3 configurations
Application
tensorflowgoogle
≥ 2.5.0 && < 2.5.2
1 version
2.6.0
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, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

  2. Fix

    Update tensorflow to 2.6.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-j86v-p27c-73fm 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

### Impact During execution, [`EinsumHelper::ParseEquation()`](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/e0b6e58c328059829c3eb968136f17aa72b6c876/tensorflow/core/kernels/linalg/einsum_op_impl.h#L126-L181) is supposed to set the flags in `input_has_ellipsis` vector and `*output_has_ellipsis` boolean to indicate whether there is ellipsis in the corresponding inputs and output. However, the code only changes these flags to `true` and never assigns `false`. ```cc for (int i = 0; i < num_inputs; ++i) { input_label_counts->at(i).resize(num_labels); for (const int label : input_labels->at(i
O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is GHSA-j86v-p27c-73fm in your dependencies?

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Unitialized access in `EinsumHelper::ParseEquation`