GHSA-x7rp-74x2-mjf3 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.9) Improper Input Validation 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-x7rp-74x2-mjf3 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,987 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-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
The RaggedCountSparseOutput implementation does not validate that the input arguments form a valid ragged tensor. In particular, there is no validation that the values in the splits tensor generate a valid partitioning of the values tensor. Thus, the following code sets up conditions to cause a heap buffer overflow:
auto per_batch_counts = BatchedMap<W>(num_batches);
int batch_idx = 0;
for (int idx = 0; idx < num_values; ++idx) {
while (idx >= splits_values(batch_idx)) {
batch_idx++;
}
const auto& value = values_values(idx);
if (value >= 0 && (maxlength_ <= 0 || value < maxlength_)) {
per_batch_counts[batch_idx - 1][value] = 1;
}
}
A BatchedMap is equivalent to a vector where each element is a hashmap. However, if the first element of splits_values is not 0, batch_idx will never be 1, hence there will be no hashmap at index 0 in per_batch_counts. Trying to access that in the user code results in a segmentation fault.
Patches
We have patched the issue in 3cbb917b4714766030b28eba9fb41bb97ce9ee02 and will release a patch release.
We recommend users to upgrade to TensorFlow 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 is a variant of GHSA-p5f8-gfw5-33w4
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow | ≥ 2.3.0&&< 2.3.1 | 2.3.1pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow==2.3.1' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-cpu | ≥ 2.3.0&&< 2.3.1 | 2.3.1pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow-cpu==2.3.1' |
| 🐍PyPI | tensorflow-gpu | ≥ 2.3.0&&< 2.3.1 | 2.3.1pip install --upgrade 'tensorflow-gpu==2.3.1' |
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 2.3.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-x7rp-74x2-mjf3 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Stop feeding it untrusted input: reject or quarantine files and payloads from unverified sources until you can upgrade, restrict accepted formats to the ones you actually need, and run the parsing or decoding step in a least-privileged sandbox or short-lived worker so a crash or corrupted read cannot reach the rest of the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-x7rp-74x2-mjf3 in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.