Denial of Service in Tensorflow
Medium6.3CVE-2020-15197 · Published Sep 25, 2020 · updated Jul 8, 2026
Affected versions
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| tensorflow PyPI | >= 2.3.0, < 2.3.1 | 2.3.1 |
Details and references
### Impact The `SparseCountSparseOutput` implementation does not validate that the input arguments form a valid sparse tensor. In particular, there is no validation that the `indices` tensor has rank 2. This tensor must be a matrix because code assumes its elements are accessed as elements of a matrix: https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/0e68f4d3295eb0281a517c3662f6698992b7b2cf/tensorflow/core/kernels/count_ops.cc#L185 However, malicious users can pass in tensors of different rank, resulting in a `CHECK` assertion failure and a crash. This can be used to cause denial of service in serving installations, if users are allowed to control the components of the input sparse tensor. ### 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](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 is a variant of [GHSA-p5f8-gfw5-33w4](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/security/advisories/GHSA-p5f8-gfw5-33w4)
- CVSS 3.1
- CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H
- Severity from
- GitHub (reviewed advisory)
- Weakness
- CWE-20, CWE-617
- Also known as
- BIT-tensorflow-2020-15197, CVE-2020-15197, PYSEC-2020-120, PYSEC-2020-277, PYSEC-2020-312
- github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/security/advisories/GHSA-qc53-44cj-vfvx
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-15197
- github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/3cbb917b4714766030b28eba9fb41bb97ce9ee02
- github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/tensorflow-cpu/PYSEC-2020-277.yaml
- github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/tensorflow-gpu/PYSEC-2020-312.yaml
- github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/tensorflow/PYSEC-2020-120.yaml
- github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow
- github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/releases/tag/v2.3.1
More TensorFlow advisories
All TensorFlow| Date | Advisory | Severity | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 252020 | Segfault in Tensorflow CVE-2020-15190Medium5.3fixed in 1.15.4, 2.0.3, 2.1.2, 2.2.1 | Medium5.3 | 1.15.4, 2.0.3, 2.1.2, 2.2.1 |
| Sep 252020 | Memory leak in Tensorflow CVE-2020-15192Medium4.3fixed in 2.2.1, 2.3.1 | Medium4.3 | 2.2.1, 2.3.1 |
| Sep 252020 | Denial of Service in Tensorflow CVE-2020-15194Medium5.3fixed in 1.15.4, 2.0.3, 2.1.2, 2.2.1 | Medium5.3 | 1.15.4, 2.0.3, 2.1.2, 2.2.1 |
| Sep 252020 | Heap buffer overflow in Tensorflow CVE-2020-15196Medium8.5fixed in 2.3.1 | Medium8.5 | 2.3.1 |
| Sep 252020 | Heap buffer overflow in Tensorflow CVE-2020-15198Medium5.4fixed in 2.3.1 | Medium5.4 | 2.3.1 |
| Sep 252020 | Denial of Service in Tensorflow CVE-2020-15199High5.9fixed in 2.3.1 | High5.9 | 2.3.1 |