CVE-2022-23568

Integer overflows in Tensorflow

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Attribution

This vulnerability has been reported by Faysal Hossain Shezan from University of Virginia.

The implementation of AddManySparseToTensorsMap is vulnerable to an integer overflow which results in a CHECK-fail when building new TensorShape objects (so, an assert failure based denial of service):

import tensorflow as tf
import numpy as np

tf.raw_ops.AddManySparseToTensorsMap(
    sparse_indices=[(0,0),(0,1),(0,2),(4,3),(5,0),(5,1)],
    sparse_values=[1,1,1,1,1,1],
    sparse_shape=[2**32,2**32],
    container='',
    shared_name='',
    name=None)

We are missing some validation on the shapes of the input tensors as well as directly constructing a large TensorShape with user-provided dimensions. The latter is an instance of TFSA-2021-198 (CVE-2021-41197) and is easily fixed by replacing a call to TensorShape constructor with a call to BuildTensorShape static helper factory.

An arithmetic operation produces a value that exceeds the integer type's maximum, causing it to wrap to an unexpected small value. Typical impact: incorrect size calculations leading to heap overflows or logic errors.

CVE-2022-23568 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, 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 (2.5.3, 2.6.3, 2.7.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

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We have patched the issue in GitHub commits b51b82fe65ebace4475e3c54eb089c18a4403f1c and a68f68061e263a88321c104a6c911fe5598050a8.

The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.8.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.7.1, TensorFlow 2.6.3, and TensorFlow 2.5.3, as these are also affected and still in supported range.

1. What is CVE-2022-23568? CVE-2022-23568 is a high-severity integer overflow or wraparound vulnerability in tensorflow (pip), affecting versions < 2.5.3. It is fixed in 2.5.3, 2.6.3, 2.7.1. An arithmetic operation produces a value that exceeds the integer type's maximum, causing it to wrap to an unexpected small value.
2. How severe is CVE-2022-23568? CVE-2022-23568 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (High). 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-2022-23568?
   • tensorflow (pip) (versions < 2.5.3)
   • tensorflow-cpu (pip) (versions < 2.5.3)
   • tensorflow-gpu (pip) (versions < 2.5.3)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2022-23568? Yes. CVE-2022-23568 is fixed in 2.5.3, 2.6.3, 2.7.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2022-23568 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-23568 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-2022-23568 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-2022-23568?
   • Upgrade tensorflow to 2.5.3 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow to 2.6.3 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow to 2.7.1 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-cpu to 2.5.3 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-cpu to 2.6.3 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-cpu to 2.7.1 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-gpu to 2.5.3 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-gpu to 2.6.3 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-gpu to 2.7.1 or later

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