CVE-2019-16778

Heap buffer overflow in UnsortedSegmentSum in TensorFlow

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Please consult SECURITY.md for more information regarding the security model and how to contact us with issues and questions.

A heap buffer overflow in UnsortedSegmentSum can be produced when the Index template argument is int32. In this case data_size and num_segments fields are truncated from int64 to int32 and can produce negative numbers, resulting in accessing out of bounds heap memory.

This is unlikely to be exploitable and was detected and fixed internally. We are making the security advisory only to notify users that it is better to update to TensorFlow 1.15 or 2.0 or later as these versions already have this fixed.

CVE-2019-16778 has a CVSS score of 2.6 (Low). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (1.15.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

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Patched by db4f9717c41bccc3ce10099ab61996b246099892 and released in all official releases after 1.15 and 2.0.

1. What is CVE-2019-16778? CVE-2019-16778 is a low-severity security vulnerability in tensorflow (pip), affecting versions < 1.15.0. It is fixed in 1.15.0.
2. How severe is CVE-2019-16778? CVE-2019-16778 has a CVSS score of 2.6 (Low). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which packages are affected by CVE-2019-16778?
   • tensorflow (pip) (versions < 1.15.0)
   • tensorflow-cpu (pip) (versions < 1.15.0)
   • tensorflow-gpu (pip) (versions < 1.15.0)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2019-16778? Yes. CVE-2019-16778 is fixed in 1.15.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2019-16778 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2019-16778 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2019-16778 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2019-16778?
   • Upgrade tensorflow to 1.15.0 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-cpu to 1.15.0 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-gpu to 1.15.0 or later

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