NULL pointer dereference in Google Tensorflow

CVE-2021-37649

TensorFlow is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. The code for `tf.raw_ops.UncompressElement` can be made to trigger a null pointer dereference. The [implementation](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/f24faa153ad31a4b51578f8181d3aaab77a1ddeb/tensorflow/core/kernels/data/experimental/compression_ops.cc#L50-L53) obtains a pointer to a `CompressedElement` from a `Variant` tensor and then proceeds to dereference it for decompressing. There is no check that the `Variant` tensor contained a `CompressedElement`, so the pointer is actually `nullptr`. We have patched the issue in GitHub commit 7bdf50bb4f5c54a4997c379092888546c97c3ebd. The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.6.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.5.1, TensorFlow 2.4.3, and TensorFlow 2.3.4, as these are also affected and still in supported range.

EPSS: 0.002 (5.6th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.7 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-37649?
CVE-2021-37649 is a high-severity vulnerability in Google Tensorflow, classified under NULL Pointer Dereference. CVSS score: 7.7/10. Published 2021-08-12.
How severe is CVE-2021-37649?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.7 out of 10.