Undefined behavior in Tensorflow
Medium5.3CVE-2020-15191 · Published Sep 25, 2020 · updated Jul 8, 2026
### Impact If a user passes an invalid argument to `dlpack.to_dlpack` the expected validations will cause variables to bind to `nullptr` while setting a `status` variable to the error condition. However, this `status` argument is not properly checked: https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/0e68f4d3295eb0281a517c3662f6698992b7b2cf/tensorflow/c/eager/dlpack.cc#L265-L267 Hence, code following these methods will bind references to null pointers: https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/0e68f4d3295eb0281a517c3662f6698992b7b2cf/tensorflow/c/eager/dlpack.cc#L279-L285 This is undefined behavior and reported as an error if compiling with `-fsanitize=null`. ### Patches We have patched the issue in 22e07fb204386768e5bcbea563641ea11f96ceb8 and will release a patch release for all affected versions. We recommend users to upgrade to TensorFlow 2.2.1 or 2.3.1. ### For more information Please consult [our security guide](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/master/SECURITY.md) for more information regarding the security model and how to contact us with issues and questions. ### Attribution This vulnerability has been discovered during variant analysis of [GHSA-rjjg-hgv6...
Affected versions
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| tensorflow PyPI | >= 2.2.0, < 2.2.1 | 2.2.1 |
| >= 2.3.0, < 2.3.1 | 2.3.1 |
Details and references
### Impact If a user passes an invalid argument to `dlpack.to_dlpack` the expected validations will cause variables to bind to `nullptr` while setting a `status` variable to the error condition. However, this `status` argument is not properly checked: https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/0e68f4d3295eb0281a517c3662f6698992b7b2cf/tensorflow/c/eager/dlpack.cc#L265-L267 Hence, code following these methods will bind references to null pointers: https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/0e68f4d3295eb0281a517c3662f6698992b7b2cf/tensorflow/c/eager/dlpack.cc#L279-L285 This is undefined behavior and reported as an error if compiling with `-fsanitize=null`. ### Patches We have patched the issue in 22e07fb204386768e5bcbea563641ea11f96ceb8 and will release a patch release for all affected versions. We recommend users to upgrade to TensorFlow 2.2.1 or 2.3.1. ### For more information Please consult [our security guide](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/master/SECURITY.md) for more information regarding the security model and how to contact us with issues and questions. ### Attribution This vulnerability has been discovered during variant analysis of [GHSA-rjjg-hgv6-h69v](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/security/advisories/GHSA-rjjg-hgv6-h69v).
- CVSS 3.1
- CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
- Severity from
- GitHub (reviewed advisory)
- Weakness
- CWE-20, CWE-252, CWE-476
- Also known as
- BIT-tensorflow-2020-15191, CVE-2020-15191, PYSEC-2020-114, PYSEC-2020-271, PYSEC-2020-306
- github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/security/advisories/GHSA-q8qj-fc9q-cphr
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-15191
- github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/22e07fb204386768e5bcbea563641ea11f96ceb8
- github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/tensorflow-cpu/PYSEC-2020-271.yaml
- github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/tensorflow-gpu/PYSEC-2020-306.yaml
- github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/tensorflow/PYSEC-2020-114.yaml
- github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow
- github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/releases/tag/v2.3.1
- lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-10/msg00065.html
More TensorFlow advisories
All TensorFlow| Date | Advisory | Severity | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 252020 | Out of bounds access in tensorflow-lite Critical8.1Sep 25, 2020 | Critical8.1 | 2.2.1+1 more |
| Sep 252020 | Out of bounds write in tensorflow-liteCritical8.1Sep 25, 2020 | Critical8.1 | 2.2.1+1 more |
| Sep 252020 | Denial of service in tensorflow-liteMedium4.0Sep 25, 2020 | Medium4.0 | 2.2.1+1 more |
| Sep 252020 | Segmentation fault in tensorflow-liteHigh6.5Sep 25, 2020 | High6.5 | 1.15.4+4 more |
| Sep 252020 | Out of bounds access in tensorflow-liteMedium4.8Sep 25, 2020 | Medium4.8 | 1.15.4+4 more |
| Sep 252020 | Null pointer dereference in tensorflow-liteHigh5.9Sep 25, 2020 | High5.9 | 1.15.4+4 more |