CVE-2021-41203: Tensorflow Missing Validation During Checkpoint Loading Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-7pxj-m4jf-r6h2
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CVSS 7.8
CWE-190 CWE-345
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-41203 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.8) missing validation during checkpoint loading vulnerability (CWE-190: Integer Overflow or Wraparound) affecting Tensorflow libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves missing validation during checkpoint loading. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.6.1, 2.5.2, 2.4.4.

CVE-2021-41203 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-41203
GHSA Identifier GHSA-7pxj-m4jf-r6h2
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.8
CWE Classification CWE-190: Integer Overflow or Wraparound
Affected Product Tensorflow
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2021-41203

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Tensorflow dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

tensorflow fixed: 2.6.1 
pip install tensorflow>=2.6.1
tensorflow fixed: 2.5.2 
pip install tensorflow>=2.5.2
tensorflow fixed: 2.4.4 
pip install tensorflow>=2.4.4
tensorflow-cpu fixed: 2.6.1 
pip install tensorflow-cpu>=2.6.1
tensorflow-cpu fixed: 2.5.2 
pip install tensorflow-cpu>=2.5.2
tensorflow-cpu fixed: 2.4.4 
pip install tensorflow-cpu>=2.4.4
tensorflow-gpu fixed: 2.6.1 
pip install tensorflow-gpu>=2.6.1
tensorflow-gpu fixed: 2.5.2 
pip install tensorflow-gpu>=2.5.2
tensorflow-gpu fixed: 2.4.4 
pip install tensorflow-gpu>=2.4.4
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

pip show tensorflow

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2021-41203, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show tensorflow

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Tensorflow in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.6.1), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show tensorflow command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-190: Integer Overflow or Wraparound, where the product performs a calculation that can produce an integer overflow or wraparound when the logic assumes that the resulting value will always be larger than the original value. this occurs when an integer value is incremented to a value that is too large to store in the associated representation. when this occurs, the value may become a very small or negative number. In Tensorflow, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Impact An attacker can trigger undefined behavior, integer overflows, segfaults and `CHECK`-fail crashes if they can change saved checkpoints from outside of TensorFlow. This is because the checkpoints loading infrastructure is missing validation for invalid file formats. ### Patches We have patched the issue in GitHub commits [b619c6f865715ca3b15ef1842b5b95edbaa710ad](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/b619c6f865715ca3b15ef1842b5b95edbaa710ad), [e8dc63704c88007ee4713076605c90188d66f3d2](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/e8dc63704c88007ee4713076605c90188d66f3d2), [368af875869a204b4ac552b9ddda59f6a46a56ec](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/368af875869a204b4ac552b9ddda59f6a46a56ec), and [abcced051cb1bd8fb05046ac3b6023a7ebcc4578](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/abcced051cb1bd8fb05046ac3b6023a7ebcc4578). These fixes will be included in TensorFlow 2.7.0. We will also cherrypick these commits on TensorFlow 2.6.1, TensorFlow 2.5.2, and TensorFlow 2.4.4, as these are also affected and still in supported range. ### 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.

CVE-2021-41203 Affected Tensorflow Versions

9 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.6.12.5.22.4.4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
tensorflow
pypi/tensorflow
PyPI
≥ 2.6.0
< 2.6.1
2.6.1
tensorflow
pypi/tensorflow
PyPI
≥ 2.5.0
< 2.5.2
2.5.2
tensorflow
pypi/tensorflow
PyPI
< 2.4.4
2.4.4
tensorflow-cpu
pypi/tensorflow-cpu
PyPI
≥ 2.6.0
< 2.6.1
2.6.1
tensorflow-cpu
pypi/tensorflow-cpu
PyPI
≥ 2.5.0
< 2.5.2
2.5.2
tensorflow-cpu
pypi/tensorflow-cpu
PyPI
< 2.4.4
2.4.4
tensorflow-gpu
pypi/tensorflow-gpu
PyPI
≥ 2.6.0
< 2.6.1
2.6.1
tensorflow-gpu
pypi/tensorflow-gpu
PyPI
≥ 2.5.0
< 2.5.2
2.5.2
tensorflow-gpu
pypi/tensorflow-gpu
PyPI
< 2.4.4
2.4.4

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/security/advisories/GHSA-7pxj-m4jf-r6h2
NVD — CVE-2021-41203 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-41203
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/368af875869a204b4ac552b9ddda59f6a46a56ec
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/abcced051cb1bd8fb05046ac3b6023a7ebcc4578
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/b619c6f865715ca3b15ef1842b5b95edbaa710ad
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/e8dc63704c88007ee4713076605c90188d66f3d2
Tensorflow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/tensorflow-cpu/PYSEC-2021-613.yaml
Tensorflow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/tensorflow-gpu/PYSEC-2021-811.yaml
Tensorflow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/tensorflow/PYSEC-2021-396.yaml
Tensorflow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-41203?
CVE-2021-41203 is a security vulnerability in Tensorflow involving Missing validation during checkpoint loading under CWE-190: Integer Overflow or Wraparound.
Which Tensorflow versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.6.1, 2.5.2, 2.4.4 across affected packages: tensorflow, tensorflow-cpu, tensorflow-gpu.
What version fixes CVE-2021-41203?
Upgrading to 2.6.1, 2.5.2, 2.4.4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is tensorflow affected?
Yes, tensorflow is affected in releases prior to 2.6.1, 2.5.2, 2.4.4. Upgrade your dependency to 2.6.1, 2.5.2, 2.4.4 or later.
Is tensorflow-cpu affected?
Yes, tensorflow-cpu is affected in releases prior to 2.6.1, 2.5.2, 2.4.4. Upgrade your dependency to 2.6.1, 2.5.2, 2.4.4 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-41203?
CVE-2021-41203 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-41203?
CVE-2021-41203 is classified under CWE-190: Integer Overflow or Wraparound (The product performs a calculation that can produce an integer overflow or wraparound when the logic assumes that the resulting value will always be larger than the original value. This occurs when an integer value is incremented to a value that is too large to store in the associated representation. When this occurs, the value may become a very small or negative number.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2021-41203?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show tensorflow'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
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  "modified" : "2024-11-13T21:52:36Z",
  "published" : "2021-11-10T19:12:46Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-41203" ],
  "summary" : "Missing validation during checkpoint loading",
  "details" : "### Impact\nAn attacker can trigger undefined behavior, integer overflows, segfaults and `CHECK`-fail crashes if they can change saved checkpoints from outside of TensorFlow.\n\nThis is because the checkpoints loading infrastructure is missing validation for invalid file formats.\n\n### Patches\nWe have patched the issue in GitHub commits [b619c6f865715ca3b15ef1842b5b95edbaa710ad](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/b619c6f865715ca3b15ef1842b5b95edbaa710ad), [e8dc63704c88007ee4713076605c90188d66f3d2](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/e8dc63704c88007ee4713076605c90188d66f3d2), [368af875869a204b4ac552b9ddda59f6a46a56ec](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/368af875869a204b4ac552b9ddda59f6a46a56ec), and [abcced051cb1bd8fb05046ac3b6023a7ebcc4578](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/abcced051cb1bd8fb05046ac3b6023a7ebcc4578).\n\nThese fixes will be included in TensorFlow 2.7.0. We will also cherrypick these commits on TensorFlow 2.6.1, TensorFlow 2.5.2, and TensorFlow 2.4.4, as these are also affected and still in supported range.\n\n### For more information \nPlease 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.",
  "severity" : [ {
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}