CVE-2021-41220: TensorFlow Memory Leak and Use After Free Vulnerability

tensorflow Updated 02 Oct 2025

Summary

06/03/2024

Disclosed on

CVE-2021-41220

CVE

Yes i

Fix available

High

Severity

Not published

CVSS Score

CVE-2021-41220: Use after free in CollectiveReduceV2. Affects tensorflow versions >= 2.6.0, < 2.6.1. Fixed in 2.6.1. How to fix ↓

Also tracked for

tensorflow · PyPI
tensorflow · PyPI
tensorflow-cpu · PyPI
tensorflow-gpu · PyPI

The same CVE-2021-41220 is tracked separately for each ecosystem and vendor. Its fix information is the same; the package and affected versions differ.

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Background

TensorFlow is an open source platform for machine learning. It provides a comprehensive ecosystem of tools, libraries, and resources for developing and deploying machine learning models. TensorFlow is widely used in various industries and research domains for tasks such as image recognition, natural language processing, and recommendation systems. However, the async implementation of CollectiveReduceV2 in TensorFlow is vulnerable to a memory leak and a use after free issue.

Vulnerability Detail

The memory leak and use after free vulnerability in TensorFlow's async implementation of CollectiveReduceV2 is caused by the asynchronous computation and the access of objects that have been std::move()d from. This can lead to memory exhaustion and potential exploitation by an attacker. The vulnerability affects versions 2.6.0 and 2.7.0-rc0/2.7.0-rc1 of TensorFlow. The impact of this vulnerability can range from denial of service to remote code execution.

How To Fix

Minimum fixed version

2.6.1

This is the first release that contains the fix.

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Workaround

There is no known workaround for this vulnerability. It is recommended to update to the fixed versions of TensorFlow as soon as possible.

Conclusion

The memory leak and use after free vulnerability in TensorFlow's async implementation of CollectiveReduceV2 can have serious security implications. It is crucial to update to the fixed versions of TensorFlow to mitigate the risk. For further support on vulnerability remediation, you can reach out to DevNack.com.

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