Undefined behavior when users supply invalid resource handles in TensorFlow

Summary

TensorFlow is an open source platform for machine learning. Prior to versions 2.9.0, 2.8.1, 2.7.2, and 2.6.4, multiple TensorFlow operations misbehave in eager mode when the resource handle provided to them is invalid. In graph mode, it would have been impossible to perform these API calls, but migration to TF 2.x eager mode opened up this vulnerability. If the resource handle is empty, then a reference is bound to a null pointer inside TensorFlow codebase (various codepaths). This is undefined behavior. Versions 2.9.0, 2.8.1, 2.7.2, and 2.6.4 contain a patch for this issue.

Timeline

1. May 20, 2022, 10:10 PM UTCCVE published
2. Apr 22, 2025, 3:47 PM UTCCISA SSVC assessment

   Exploitation: poc · Automatable: no · Technical impact: partial

3. Apr 22, 2025, 5:58 PM UTCRecord last updated

Affected versions

• tensorflow tensorflow

  fixed in 2.6.4; From 2.7.0rc0 · fixed in 2.7.2; From 2.8.0rc0 · fixed in 2.8.1; From 2.9.0rc0 · fixed in 2.9.0

• tensorflow-cpuPyPI

  fixed in 2.6.4; From 2.7.0 · fixed in 2.7.2; From 2.8.0 · fixed in 2.8.1

• tensorflowPyPI

  fixed in 2.6.4

• tensorflowPyPI

  From 2.7.0 · fixed in 2.7.2

• tensorflowPyPI

  From 2.8.0 · fixed in 2.8.1

• tensorflow-cpuPyPI

  fixed in 2.6.4

• tensorflow-cpuPyPI

  From 2.7.0 · fixed in 2.7.2

• tensorflow-cpuPyPI

  From 2.8.0 · fixed in 2.8.1

• tensorflow-gpuPyPI

  fixed in 2.6.4

• tensorflow-gpuPyPI

  From 2.7.0 · fixed in 2.7.2

• tensorflow-gpuPyPI

  From 2.8.0 · fixed in 2.8.1

• tensorflow-gpuPyPI

  fixed in 2.6.4; From 2.7.0 · fixed in 2.7.2; From 2.8.0 · fixed in 2.8.1

• tensorflowPyPI

  fixed in 2.6.4; From 2.7.0 · fixed in 2.7.2; From 2.8.0 · fixed in 2.8.1

References 7