CVE-2020-15205: Tensorflow Data Leak Vulnerability
MODERATECVE-2020-15205 is a MODERATE (CVSS 9.0) data leak vulnerability (CWE-122: Heap-based Buffer Overflow) affecting Tensorflow libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves data leak in tensorflow. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.15.4, 2.0.3, 2.1.2, 2.2.1, 2.3.1.
CVE-2020-15205 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 9.0
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).
How to Fix CVE-2020-15205
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.
pip install tensorflow>=1.15.4
pip install tensorflow>=2.0.3
pip install tensorflow>=2.1.2
pip install tensorflow>=2.2.1
pip install tensorflow>=2.3.1
pip install tensorflow-cpu>=1.15.4
pip install tensorflow-cpu>=2.0.3
pip install tensorflow-cpu>=2.1.2
pip install tensorflow-cpu>=2.2.1
pip install tensorflow-cpu>=2.3.1
pip install tensorflow-gpu>=1.15.4
pip install tensorflow-gpu>=2.0.3
pip install tensorflow-gpu>=2.1.2
pip install tensorflow-gpu>=2.2.1
pip install tensorflow-gpu>=2.3.1
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-2020-15205, 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 1.15.4), 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-122: Heap-based Buffer Overflow, where a heap overflow condition is a buffer overflow, where the buffer that can be overwritten is allocated in the heap portion of memory, generally meaning that the buffer was allocated using a routine such as malloc(). 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
CVE-2020-15205 Affected Tensorflow Versions
15 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
tensorflow
|
PyPI |
< 1.15.4
|
1.15.4
|
|
tensorflow
|
PyPI |
≥ 2.0.0
< 2.0.3
|
2.0.3
|
|
tensorflow
|
PyPI |
≥ 2.1.0
< 2.1.2
|
2.1.2
|
|
tensorflow
|
PyPI |
≥ 2.2.0
< 2.2.1
All 1 versions
2.2.0
|
2.2.1
|
|
tensorflow
|
PyPI |
≥ 2.3.0
< 2.3.1
All 1 versions
2.3.0
|
2.3.1
|
|
tensorflow-cpu
|
PyPI |
< 1.15.4
|
1.15.4
|
|
tensorflow-cpu
|
PyPI |
≥ 2.0.0
< 2.0.3
|
2.0.3
|
|
tensorflow-cpu
|
PyPI |
≥ 2.1.0
< 2.1.2
|
2.1.2
|
|
tensorflow-cpu
|
PyPI |
≥ 2.2.0
< 2.2.1
All 1 versions
2.2.0
|
2.2.1
|
|
tensorflow-cpu
|
PyPI |
≥ 2.3.0
< 2.3.1
All 1 versions
2.3.0
|
2.3.1
|
|
tensorflow-gpu
|
PyPI |
< 1.15.4
|
1.15.4
|
|
tensorflow-gpu
|
PyPI |
≥ 2.0.0
< 2.0.3
|
2.0.3
|
|
tensorflow-gpu
|
PyPI |
≥ 2.1.0
< 2.1.2
|
2.1.2
|
|
tensorflow-gpu
|
PyPI |
≥ 2.2.0
< 2.2.1
All 1 versions
2.2.0
|
2.2.1
|
|
tensorflow-gpu
|
PyPI |
≥ 2.3.0
< 2.3.1
All 1 versions
2.3.0
|
2.3.1
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2020-15205?
Which Tensorflow versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2020-15205?
Is tensorflow affected?
Is tensorflow-cpu affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-15205?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-15205?
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2020-15205?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-g7p5-5759-qv46",
"modified" : "2024-10-30T21:11:46Z",
"published" : "2020-09-25T18:28:38Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-15205" ],
"summary" : "Data leak in Tensorflow",
"details" : "### Impact\nThe `data_splits` argument of [`tf.raw_ops.StringNGrams`](https://www.tensorflow.org/api_docs/python/tf/raw_ops/StringNGrams) lacks validation. This allows a user to pass values that can cause heap overflow errors and even leak contents of memory\n```python\n>>> tf.raw_ops.StringNGrams(data=[\"aa\", \"bb\", \"cc\", \"dd\", \"ee\", \"ff\"], data_splits=[0,8], separator=\" \", ngram_widths=[3], left_pad=\"\", right_pad=\"\", pad_width=0, preserve_short_sequences=False)\nStringNGrams(ngrams=<tf.Tensor: shape=(6,), dtype=string, numpy=\narray([b'aa bb cc', b'bb cc dd', b'cc dd ee', b'dd ee ff',\n b'ee ff \\xf4j\\xa7q\\x7f\\x00\\x00q\\x00\\x00\\x00\\x00\\x00\\x00\\x00\\xd8\\x9b~\\xa8q\\x7f\\x00',\n b'ff \\xf4j\\xa7q\\x7f\\x00\\x00q\\x00\\x00\\x00\\x00\\x00\\x00\\x00\\xd8\\x9b~\\xa8q\\x7f\\x00 \\x9b~\\xa8q\\x7f\\x00\\x00p\\xf5j\\xa7q\\x7f\\x00\\x00H\\xf8j\\xa7q\\x7f\\x00\\x00\\xf0\\xf3\\xf7\\x85q\\x7f\\x00\\x00`}\\xa6\\x00\\x00\\x00\\x00\\x00`~\\xa6\\x00\\x00\\x00\\x00\\x00\\xb0~\\xeb\\x9bq\\x7f\\x00'],...\n```\n\nAll the binary strings after `ee ff` are contents from the memory stack. Since these can contain return addresses, this data leak can be used to defeat ASLR.\n\n### Patches\nWe have patched the issue in 0462de5b544ed4731aa2fb23946ac22c01856b80 and will release patch releases for all versions between 1.15 and 2.3.\n\nWe recommend users to upgrade to TensorFlow 1.15.4, 2.0.3, 2.1.2, 2.2.1, or 2.3.1.\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.\n\n### Attribution\nThis vulnerability has been reported by members of the Aivul Team from Qihoo 360.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
}, {
"type" : "CVSS_V4",
"score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "tensorflow"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.15.4"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "tensorflow"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "2.0.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.0.3"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "tensorflow"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "2.1.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.1.2"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "tensorflow"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "2.2.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.2.1"
} ]
} ],
"versions" : [ "2.2.0" ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "tensorflow"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "2.3.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.3.1"
} ]
} ],
"versions" : [ "2.3.0" ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "tensorflow-cpu"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.15.4"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "tensorflow-cpu"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "2.0.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.0.3"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "tensorflow-cpu"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "2.1.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.1.2"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "tensorflow-cpu"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "2.2.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.2.1"
} ]
} ],
"versions" : [ "2.2.0" ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "tensorflow-cpu"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "2.3.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.3.1"
} ]
} ],
"versions" : [ "2.3.0" ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "tensorflow-gpu"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.15.4"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "tensorflow-gpu"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "2.0.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.0.3"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "tensorflow-gpu"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "2.1.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.1.2"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "tensorflow-gpu"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "2.2.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.2.1"
} ]
} ],
"versions" : [ "2.2.0" ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "tensorflow-gpu"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "2.3.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.3.1"
} ]
} ],
"versions" : [ "2.3.0" ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/security/advisories/GHSA-g7p5-5759-qv46"
}, {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-15205"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/0462de5b544ed4731aa2fb23946ac22c01856b80"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/tensorflow-cpu/PYSEC-2020-285.yaml"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/tensorflow-gpu/PYSEC-2020-320.yaml"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/tensorflow/PYSEC-2020-128.yaml"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/releases/tag/v2.3.1"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-10/msg00065.html"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-119", "CWE-122", "CWE-787" ],
"severity" : "MODERATE",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2020-09-25T17:37:04Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2020-09-25T19:15:00Z"
}
}