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CVE-2021-41208 — Incomplete validation in tensorflow — CVE Details

CRITICAL

Incomplete validation in boosted trees code

Published November 10, 2021Updated July 8, 2026Source: osv

Summary

### Impact The [code for boosted trees in TensorFlow](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/e0b6e58c328059829c3eb968136f17aa72b6c876/tensorflow/core/kernels/boosted_trees/stats_ops.cc) is still missing validation. As a result, attackers can trigger denial of service (via dereferencing `nullptr`s or via `CHECK`-failures) as well as abuse undefined behavior (binding references to `nullptr`s). An attacker can also read and write from heap buffers, depending on the API that gets used and the arguments that are passed to the call. **Note**: Given that the boosted trees implementation in TensorFlow is unmaintained, it is recommend to no longer use these APIs. Instead, please use the downstream [TensorFlow Decision Forests](https://github.com/tensorflow/decision-forests) project which is newer and supports more features. We will deprecate TensorFlow's boosted trees APIs in subsequent releases. ### Patches We have patched the issue in GitHub commit [5c8c9a8bfe750f9743d0c859bae112060b216f5c](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/5c8c9a8bfe750f9743d0c859bae112060b216f5c). The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.7.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.6.1, TensorFlow 2.5.2, and TensorFlow 2.4.4, as these are also affected and still in supported range. ### For more information Please consult [our security guide](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/master/SECURITY.md) 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.

Advisory Timeline

  • First published November 10, 2021 (1797 days ago).
  • Last revised July 8, 2026 — 1700 days after initial publication.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

pip
Update tensorflow to 2.6.1 or later
pip install "tensorflow>=2.6.1"
pip
Update tensorflow-gpu to 2.4.4 or later
pip install "tensorflow-gpu>=2.4.4"
pip
Update tensorflow-gpu to 2.6.1 or later
pip install "tensorflow-gpu>=2.6.1"
pip
Update tensorflow-cpu to 2.4.4 or later
pip install "tensorflow-cpu>=2.4.4"
pip
Update tensorflow to 2.5.2 or later
pip install "tensorflow>=2.5.2"
pip
Update tensorflow-gpu to 2.5.2 or later
pip install "tensorflow-gpu>=2.5.2"
pip
Update tensorflow-cpu to 2.6.1 or later
pip install "tensorflow-cpu>=2.6.1"
pip
Update tensorflow to 2.4.4 or later
pip install "tensorflow>=2.4.4"
pip
Update tensorflow-cpu to 2.5.2 or later
pip install "tensorflow-cpu>=2.5.2"

After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.

Affected Packages (9)

Affects 1 ecosystem: pypi (3).

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
tensorflow
pypi
2.6.02.6.1
tensorflow-gpu
pypi
0.12.0, 0.12.1, 1.0.0, 1.0.1 (+50 more)2.4.4
tensorflow-gpu
pypi
2.6.02.6.1
tensorflow-cpu
pypi
1.15.0, 2.1.0, 2.1.1, 2.1.2 (+15 more)2.4.4
tensorflow
pypi
2.5.0, 2.5.12.5.2
tensorflow-gpu
pypi
2.5.0, 2.5.12.5.2
tensorflow-cpu
pypi
2.6.02.6.1
tensorflow
pypi
0.12.0, 0.12.1, 1.0.0, 1.0.1 (+50 more)2.4.4
tensorflow-cpu
pypi
2.5.0, 2.5.12.5.2

Vulnerability Classification

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 9.3 score means for each attack dimension.

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-41208?
Incomplete validation in boosted trees code This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of CRITICAL (CVSS score: 9.3/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2021-41208?
CVE-2021-41208 affects tensorflow, tensorflow-gpu and tensorflow-cpu. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2021-41208 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
9.3

Exploitation is straightforward and causes maximum impact. Patch immediately.

Also Known As

GHSA-57wx-m983-2f88
BIT-tensorflow-2021-41208
PYSEC-2021-400
PYSEC-2021-617
PYSEC-2021-815

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