GHSA-w5gh-2wr2-pm6g is a critical-severity (CVSS 9) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in tensorflow. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-w5gh-2wr2-pm6g is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Denial of Service in Tensorflow
Real-World Exposure
tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-cpu🐍tensorflow-cpu+7 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
Changing the TensorFlow's SavedModel protocol buffer and altering the name of required keys results in segfaults and data corruption while loading the model. This can cause a denial of service in products using tensorflow-serving or other inference-as-a-service installments.
We have added fixes to this in f760f88b4267d981e13f4b302c437ae800445968 and fcfef195637c6e365577829c4d67681695956e7d (both going into TensorFlow 2.2.0 and 2.3.0 but not yet backported to earlier versions). However, this was not enough, as #41097 reports a different failure mode.
Patches
We have patched the issue in adf095206f25471e864a8e63a0f1caef53a0e3a6 and will release patch releases for all versions between 1.15 and 2.3. Patch releases for versions between 1.15 and 2.1 will also contain cherry-picks of f760f88b4267d981e13f4b302c437ae800445968 and fcfef195637c6e365577829c4d67681695956e7d.
We recommend users to upgrade to TensorFlow 1.15.4, 2.0.3, 2.1.2, 2.2.1, or 2.3.1.
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 Shuaike Dong, from Alipay Tian Qian Security Lab && Lab for Applied Security Research, CUHK.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | all versions | 1.15.4 |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.0.3 | 2.0.3 |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.1.0&&< 2.1.2 | 2.1.2 |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.2.0&&< 2.2.1 | 2.2.1 |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.3.0&&< 2.3.1 | 2.3.1 |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-cpu | all versions | 1.15.4 |
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 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 1.15.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-w5gh-2wr2-pm6g 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-w5gh-2wr2-pm6g 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-w5gh-2wr2-pm6g. 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-w5gh-2wr2-pm6g in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-w5gh-2wr2-pm6g across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.