CVE-2021-37661: TensorFlow Denial of Service Vulnerability
Summary
CVE-2021-37661: TensorFlow is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. Affects tensorflow across 3 version ranges.
>= 2.3.0, < 2.3.4
>= 2.4.0, < 2.4.3
< 8a84f7a2b5a2b27ecf88d25bad9ac777cd2f7992
Fixed in 2.3.4 or 2.4.3, depending on the release line you run. How to fix ↓
Also tracked for
- tensorflow · Bitnami
- tensorflow-cpu · PyPI
- tensorflow-gpu · PyPI
The same CVE-2021-37661 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 end-to-end 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, a vulnerability has been discovered in TensorFlow that can lead to a denial of service (DoS) attack.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability, identified as CVE-2021-37661, exists in the boosted_trees_create_quantile_stream_resource function of TensorFlow. By providing negative arguments to this function, an attacker can trigger a DoS condition. The implementation of the function fails to validate that the num_streams parameter only contains non-negative numbers. Consequently, this value is used to allocate memory, leading to a crash in the standard library. This vulnerability can be exploited remotely by an attacker to disrupt the availability of TensorFlow applications.
How To Fix
Latest published version: 2.21.0 as of 22 Oct 2026
pip install --upgrade "tensorflow==2.21.0"Upgrading to it may include breaking changes; the versions below are the minimum fixed release for this vulnerability.
If you can't move to the latest
The minimum fixed version depends on the release line you run.
-
>= 2.3.0, < 2.3.42.3.4pip install --upgrade "tensorflow==2.3.4" -
>= 2.4.0, < 2.4.32.4.3pip install --upgrade "tensorflow==2.4.3"
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Workaround
There is no specific workaround provided for this vulnerability. It is advised to update to the patched version of TensorFlow as soon as it is released.
Conclusion
The vulnerability in TensorFlow can result in a denial of service attack, impacting the availability of TensorFlow applications. It is crucial to update to the patched version of TensorFlow once it is released to mitigate the risk. For further support and assistance in vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.
See every vulnerability recorded for tensorflow →
FAQ
TensorFlow is an open source platform for machine learning that provides tools and libraries for developing and deploying machine learning models.
This vulnerability can be exploited by an attacker to cause a denial of service, leading to the unavailability of TensorFlow applications.
To fix this vulnerability, it is recommended to update to the latest version of TensorFlow once the fix is available.
Yes, older versions of TensorFlow, including 2.3.4, 2.4.3, and 2.5.1, are also affected by this vulnerability.
No specific workaround has been provided for this vulnerability. Updating to the patched version is the recommended solution.
References
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