CVE-2021-29525

Division by 0 in Conv2DBackpropInput

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Attribution

This vulnerability has been reported by Yakun Zhang and Ying Wang of Baidu X-Team.

An attacker can trigger a division by 0 in tf.raw_ops.Conv2DBackpropInput:

import tensorflow as tf

input_tensor = tf.constant([52, 1, 1, 5], shape=[4], dtype=tf.int32)
filter_tensor = tf.constant([], shape=[0, 1, 5, 0], dtype=tf.float32)
out_backprop = tf.constant([], shape=[52, 1, 1, 0], dtype=tf.float32)

tf.raw_ops.Conv2DBackpropInput(input_sizes=input_tensor, filter=filter_tensor,
                               out_backprop=out_backprop, strides=[1, 1, 1, 1],
                               use_cudnn_on_gpu=True, padding='SAME',
                               explicit_paddings=[], data_format='NHWC',
                               dilations=[1, 1, 1, 1])

This is because the implementation does a division by a quantity that is controlled by the caller:

  const size_t size_A = output_image_size * dims.out_depth; 
  const size_t size_B = filter_total_size * dims.out_depth;
  const size_t size_C = output_image_size * filter_total_size;
  const size_t work_unit_size = size_A + size_B + size_C;
  ...
  const size_t shard_size =
      use_parallel_contraction ? 1 :
      (target_working_set_size + work_unit_size - 1) / work_unit_size;

CVE-2021-29525 has a CVSS score of 2.5 (Low). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. 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 (2.1.4, 2.2.3, 2.3.3, 2.4.2); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

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We have patched the issue in GitHub commit 2be2cdf3a123e231b16f766aa0e27d56b4606535.

The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.5.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.4.2, TensorFlow 2.3.3, TensorFlow 2.2.3 and TensorFlow 2.1.4, as these are also affected and still in supported range.

1. What is CVE-2021-29525? CVE-2021-29525 is a low-severity security vulnerability in tensorflow (pip), affecting versions < 2.1.4. It is fixed in 2.1.4, 2.2.3, 2.3.3, 2.4.2.
2. How severe is CVE-2021-29525? CVE-2021-29525 has a CVSS score of 2.5 (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-2021-29525?
   • tensorflow (pip) (versions < 2.1.4)
   • tensorflow-cpu (pip) (versions < 2.1.4)
   • tensorflow-gpu (pip) (versions < 2.1.4)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2021-29525? Yes. CVE-2021-29525 is fixed in 2.1.4, 2.2.3, 2.3.3, 2.4.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2021-29525 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2021-29525 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-2021-29525 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-2021-29525?
   • Upgrade tensorflow to 2.1.4 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow to 2.2.3 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow to 2.3.3 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow to 2.4.2 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-cpu to 2.1.4 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-cpu to 2.2.3 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-cpu to 2.3.3 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-cpu to 2.4.2 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-gpu to 2.1.4 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-gpu to 2.2.3 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-gpu to 2.3.3 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-gpu to 2.4.2 or later

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