Incomplete validation in `SparseAdd`
Priority LOW 34CWE-665Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service, Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and GitHub. Impact type from CWE-476, CWE-787 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
TensorFlow is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. Incomplete validation in `SparseAdd` results in allowing attackers to exploit undefined behavior (dereferencing null pointers) as well as write outside of bounds of heap allocated data. The implementation(https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/656e7673b14acd7835dc778867f84916c6d1cac2/tensorflow/core/kernels/sparse_add_op.cc) has a large set of validation for the two sparse tensor inputs (6 tensors in total), but does not validate that the tensors are not empty or that the second dimension of `*_indices` matches the size of corresponding `*_shape`. This allows attackers to send tensor triples that represent invalid sparse tensors to abuse code assumptions that are not protected by validation. The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.5.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.4.2, TensorFlow 2.3.3, TensorFlow 2.2.3 and TensorFlow 2.1.4, as these are also affected and still in supported range.
Why it matters now
EPSS 0.00234 14th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Public exploit Yes 1 exploit referenceTagged by NVD
Fix Fixed tensorflow (tensorflow): 2.1.4, 2.2.3, 2.3.3 +1tensorflow (PyPI): 2.1.4, 2.2.3, 2.3.3 +1+2 more products
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tensorflow | before 2.1.4; 2.2.0 to before 2.2.3; 2.3.0 to before 2.3.3; 2.4.0 to before 2.4.2 | 2.1.4, 2.2.3, 2.3.3, 2.4.2 | Patch available | CNA | |
| — | tensorflow (PyPI) | before 2.1.4 | 2.1.4 | Patch available | GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 |
| — | tensorflow (PyPI) | 2.2.0 to before 2.2.3 | 2.2.3 | Patch available | GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 |
| — | tensorflow (PyPI) | 2.3.0 to before 2.3.3 | 2.3.3 | Patch available | GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 |
| — | tensorflow (PyPI) | 2.4.0 to before 2.4.2 | 2.4.2 | Patch available | GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 |
| — | tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) | before 2.1.4 | 2.1.4 | Patch available | GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 |
| — | tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) | 2.2.0 to before 2.2.3 | 2.2.3 | Patch available | GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 |
| — | tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) | 2.3.0 to before 2.3.3 | 2.3.3 | Patch available | GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 |
| — | tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) | 2.4.0 to before 2.4.2 | 2.4.2 | Patch available | GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 |
| — | tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) | before 2.1.4 | 2.1.4 | Patch available | GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 |
| — | tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) | 2.2.0 to before 2.2.3 | 2.2.3 | Patch available | GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 |
| — | tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) | 2.3.0 to before 2.3.3 | 2.3.3 | Patch available | GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 |
| — | tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) | 2.4.0 to before 2.4.2 | 2.4.2 | Patch available | GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 |
- tensorflow VendorGoogle Affected before 2.1.4; 2.2.0 to before 2.2.3; 2.3.0 to before 2.3.3; 2.4.0 to before 2.4.2 Fixed in 2.1.4, 2.2.3, 2.3.3, 2.4.2 Patch available CNA
- tensorflow (PyPI) Vendor— Affected before 2.1.4 Fixed in 2.1.4 Patch available GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64
- tensorflow (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.2.0 to before 2.2.3 Fixed in 2.2.3 Patch available GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64
- tensorflow (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.3.0 to before 2.3.3 Fixed in 2.3.3 Patch available GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64
- tensorflow (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.4.0 to before 2.4.2 Fixed in 2.4.2 Patch available GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64
- tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) Vendor— Affected before 2.1.4 Fixed in 2.1.4 Patch available GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64
- tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.2.0 to before 2.2.3 Fixed in 2.2.3 Patch available GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64
- tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.3.0 to before 2.3.3 Fixed in 2.3.3 Patch available GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64
- tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.4.0 to before 2.4.2 Fixed in 2.4.2 Patch available GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64
- tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) Vendor— Affected before 2.1.4 Fixed in 2.1.4 Patch available GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64
- tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.2.0 to before 2.2.3 Fixed in 2.2.3 Patch available GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64
- tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.3.0 to before 2.3.3 Fixed in 2.3.3 Patch available GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64
- tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.4.0 to before 2.4.2 Fixed in 2.4.2 Patch available GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:google:tensorflow:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 2.1.4; 2.2.0 to before 2.2.3; 2.3.0 to before 2.3.3; 2.4.0 to before 2.4.2 | Vulnerable |
- cpe:2.3:a:google:tensorflow:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 2.1.4; 2.2.0 to before 2.2.3; 2.3.0 to before 2.3.3; 2.4.0 to before 2.4.2 Vulnerable ·Google
Remediation
- Fix · CNA tensorflow (tensorflow) Fixed in 2.1.4, 2.2.3, 2.3.3, 2.4.2
- Fix · GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 tensorflow (PyPI) Fixed in 2.1.4 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 tensorflow (PyPI) Fixed in 2.2.3 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 tensorflow (PyPI) Fixed in 2.3.3 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 tensorflow (PyPI) Fixed in 2.4.2 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) Fixed in 2.1.4 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) Fixed in 2.2.3 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) Fixed in 2.3.3 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) Fixed in 2.4.2 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) Fixed in 2.1.4 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) Fixed in 2.2.3 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) Fixed in 2.3.3 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) Fixed in 2.4.2 Advisory →
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2021-29609
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64
References
Patch 2
More Google Tensorflow vulnerabilities
- TI-2022-20241 FractionalMaxPool and FractionalAVGPool heap out-of-bounds acess in Tensorflow CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2022-07640 Integer overflow in Tensorflow CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2022-07627 Out of bounds read and write in Tensorflow CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-07619 Out of bounds write in Tensorflow CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-07613 Read and Write outside of bounds in TFLite CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-07612 Integer overflow in TFLite CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
Sources
- CVE-2021-29609 · CVE Program
- CVE-2021-29609 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-cjc7-49v2-jp64 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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