CVE-2021-29556: TensorFlow Reverse FPE Runtime Error Denial of Service

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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 (CVE-2021-29556) in TensorFlow is caused by a runtime error in the tf.raw_ops.Reverse function. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to trigger a division based on the first dimension of the tensor argument, leading to a FPE (Floating Point Exception) error. This error can cause the TensorFlow runtime to crash, resulting in a denial of service. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of TensorFlow, including 2.1.4, 2.2.3, 2.3.3, 2.4.2, and prior versions. The issue has been identified and a fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.5.0.

pip install --upgrade "tensorflow-cpu==2.21.0"

Workaround

As a temporary workaround, users can avoid using the tf.raw_ops.Reverse function in their TensorFlow code. By replacing this function with alternative approaches or custom implementations, the vulnerability can be mitigated. Here is an example of a workaround using a custom reverse function:

import tensorflow as tf

# Custom reverse function
@tf.function
def custom_reverse(tensor):
    return tf.reverse(tensor, axis=[0])

# Usage
input_tensor = tf.constant([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
reversed_tensor = custom_reverse(input_tensor)

Conclusion

The vulnerability in TensorFlow (CVE-2021-29556) can be exploited to cause a denial of service by triggering a FPE runtime error. It is crucial to update TensorFlow to version 2.5.0 or apply the provided patches for the affected versions (2.4.2, 2.3.3, 2.2.3, and 2.1.4) once they are released. In the meantime, users can implement the suggested workaround to mitigate the vulnerability. For further support on vulnerability remediation, you can reach out to DevNack.com.

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