`CHECK`-fails due to attempting to build a reference tensor in Tensorflow
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and GitHub. Impact type from CWE-617.
Summary
Tensorflow is an Open Source Machine Learning Framework. A malicious user can cause a denial of service by altering a `SavedModel` such that Grappler optimizer would attempt to build a tensor using a reference `dtype`. This would result in a crash due to a `CHECK`-fail in the `Tensor` constructor as reference types are not allowed. The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.8.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.7.1, TensorFlow 2.6.3, and TensorFlow 2.5.3, as these are also affected and still in supported range.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tensorflow | 2.7.0 to before 2.7.1; 2.6.0 to before 2.6.3; before 2.5.3 | 2.7.1, 2.6.3, 2.5.3 | Patch available | CNA | |
| — | tensorflow (PyPI) | before 2.5.3 | 2.5.3 | Patch available | GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c |
| — | tensorflow (PyPI) | 2.6.0 to before 2.6.3 | 2.6.3 | Patch available | GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c |
| — | tensorflow (PyPI) | 2.7.0 to before 2.7.1 | 2.7.1 | Patch available | GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c |
| — | tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) | before 2.5.3 | 2.5.3 | Patch available | GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c |
| — | tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) | 2.6.0 to before 2.6.3 | 2.6.3 | Patch available | GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c |
| — | tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) | 2.7.0 to before 2.7.1 | 2.7.1 | Patch available | GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c |
| — | tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) | before 2.5.3 | 2.5.3 | Patch available | GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c |
| — | tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) | 2.6.0 to before 2.6.3 | 2.6.3 | Patch available | GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c |
| — | tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) | 2.7.0 to before 2.7.1 | 2.7.1 | Patch available | GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c |
- tensorflow VendorGoogle Affected 2.7.0 to before 2.7.1; 2.6.0 to before 2.6.3; before 2.5.3 Fixed in 2.7.1, 2.6.3, 2.5.3 Patch available CNA
- tensorflow (PyPI) Vendor— Affected before 2.5.3 Fixed in 2.5.3 Patch available GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c
- tensorflow (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.6.0 to before 2.6.3 Fixed in 2.6.3 Patch available GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c
- tensorflow (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.7.0 to before 2.7.1 Fixed in 2.7.1 Patch available GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c
- tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) Vendor— Affected before 2.5.3 Fixed in 2.5.3 Patch available GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c
- tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.6.0 to before 2.6.3 Fixed in 2.6.3 Patch available GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c
- tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.7.0 to before 2.7.1 Fixed in 2.7.1 Patch available GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c
- tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) Vendor— Affected before 2.5.3 Fixed in 2.5.3 Patch available GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c
- tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.6.0 to before 2.6.3 Fixed in 2.6.3 Patch available GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c
- tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.7.0 to before 2.7.1 Fixed in 2.7.1 Patch available GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c
Remediation
- Fix · CNA tensorflow (tensorflow) Fixed in 2.7.1, 2.6.3, 2.5.3
- Fix · GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c tensorflow (PyPI) Fixed in 2.5.3 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c tensorflow (PyPI) Fixed in 2.6.3 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c tensorflow (PyPI) Fixed in 2.7.1 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) Fixed in 2.5.3 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) Fixed in 2.6.3 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) Fixed in 2.7.1 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) Fixed in 2.5.3 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) Fixed in 2.6.3 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) Fixed in 2.7.1 Advisory →
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2022-23588
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c
References
Exploit 2
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-2022-23588 · CVE Program
- CVE-2022-23588 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-fx5c-h9f6-rv7c · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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