CVE-2020-15208: Tensorflow Data Corruption Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-mxjj-953w-2c2v
CVSS 7.4
CWE-125 CWE-787
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-15208 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.4) data corruption vulnerability (CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read) affecting Tensorflow libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves data corruption in tensorflow-lite. 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-2020-15208 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-15208
GHSA Identifier GHSA-mxjj-953w-2c2v
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.4
CWE Classification CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read
Affected Product Tensorflow
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.4

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:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2020-15208

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: 1.15.4
pip install tensorflow>=1.15.4
tensorflow fixed: 2.0.3
pip install tensorflow>=2.0.3
tensorflow fixed: 2.1.2
pip install tensorflow>=2.1.2
tensorflow fixed: 2.2.1
pip install tensorflow>=2.2.1
tensorflow fixed: 2.3.1
pip install tensorflow>=2.3.1
tensorflow-cpu fixed: 1.15.4
pip install tensorflow-cpu>=1.15.4
tensorflow-cpu fixed: 2.0.3
pip install tensorflow-cpu>=2.0.3
tensorflow-cpu fixed: 2.1.2
pip install tensorflow-cpu>=2.1.2
tensorflow-cpu fixed: 2.2.1
pip install tensorflow-cpu>=2.2.1
tensorflow-cpu fixed: 2.3.1
pip install tensorflow-cpu>=2.3.1
tensorflow-gpu fixed: 1.15.4
pip install tensorflow-gpu>=1.15.4
tensorflow-gpu fixed: 2.0.3
pip install tensorflow-gpu>=2.0.3
tensorflow-gpu fixed: 2.1.2
pip install tensorflow-gpu>=2.1.2
tensorflow-gpu fixed: 2.2.1
pip install tensorflow-gpu>=2.2.1
tensorflow-gpu fixed: 2.3.1
pip install tensorflow-gpu>=2.3.1
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-2020-15208, 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-125: Out-of-bounds Read, where the product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer. 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 When determining the common dimension size of two tensors, TFLite uses a `DCHECK` which is no-op outside of debug compilation modes: https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/0e68f4d3295eb0281a517c3662f6698992b7b2cf/tensorflow/lite/kernels/internal/types.h#L437-L442 Since the function always returns the dimension of the first tensor, malicious attackers can craft cases where this is larger than that of the second tensor. In turn, this would result in reads/writes outside of bounds since the interpreter will wrongly assume that there is enough data in both tensors. ### Patches We have patched the issue in 8ee24e7949a20 and will release patch releases for all versions between 1.15 and 2.3. We recommend users to upgrade to TensorFlow 1.15.4, 2.0.3, 2.1.2, 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 reported by members of the Aivul Team from Qihoo 360.

CVE-2020-15208 Affected Tensorflow Versions

15 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.15.42.0.32.1.22.2.12.3.1
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-2020-15208?
CVE-2020-15208 is a security vulnerability in Tensorflow involving Data corruption in tensorflow-lite under CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read.
Which Tensorflow versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.15.4, 2.0.3, 2.1.2, 2.2.1, 2.3.1 across affected packages: tensorflow, tensorflow-cpu, tensorflow-gpu.
What version fixes CVE-2020-15208?
Upgrading to 1.15.4, 2.0.3, 2.1.2, 2.2.1, 2.3.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is tensorflow affected?
Yes, tensorflow is affected in releases prior to 1.15.4, 2.0.3, 2.1.2, 2.2.1, 2.3.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.15.4, 2.0.3, 2.1.2, 2.2.1, 2.3.1 or later.
Is tensorflow-cpu affected?
Yes, tensorflow-cpu is affected in releases prior to 1.15.4, 2.0.3, 2.1.2, 2.2.1, 2.3.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.15.4, 2.0.3, 2.1.2, 2.2.1, 2.3.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-15208?
CVE-2020-15208 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.4 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-15208?
CVE-2020-15208 is classified under CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read (The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2020-15208?
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
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  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-mxjj-953w-2c2v",
  "modified" : "2024-10-30T21:17:24Z",
  "published" : "2020-09-25T18:28:44Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-15208" ],
  "summary" : "Data corruption in tensorflow-lite",
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  "severity" : [ {
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    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
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    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-15208"
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    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-10/msg00065.html"
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    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-09-25T17:59:45Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-09-25T19:15:00Z"
  }
}