Skip to content
Noroxi
NVD / CVE Program· CNA GitHub_M

CVE-2020-15197: Denial of Service in Tensorflow

MediumCVSS 6.3 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 25/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.72% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 54.5% of all records.
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.
  • Fixed version: tensorflow (PyPI) 2.3.1; tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) 2.3.1; tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) 2.3.1.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to tensorflow (PyPI) 2.3.1; tensorflow-cpu (PyPI) 2.3.1; tensorflow-gpu (PyPI) 2.3.1 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

In Tensorflow before version 2.3.1, the `SparseCountSparseOutput` implementation does not validate that the input arguments form a valid sparse tensor. In particular, there is no validation that the `indices` tensor has rank 2. This tensor must be a matrix because code assumes its elements are accessed as elements of a matrix. However, malicious users can pass in tensors of different rank, resulting in a `CHECK` assertion failure and a crash. This can be used to cause denial of service in serving installations, if users are allowed to control the components of the input sparse tensor. The issue is patched in commit 3cbb917b4714766030b28eba9fb41bb97ce9ee02 and is released in TensorFlow version 2.3.1.

Published
Sep 25, 2020
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
0.7% · 54th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

25

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
25 / 40 · 6.3 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.7%

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
6.3
CNA · GitHub_M
6.3
agree

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2020-15197

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

One daily email digest (06:00 UTC); connect a webhook for KEV listings and weaponized exploits every 10 minutes on paid plans, on the hour on the free plan.

Your free account also gets you

  • CVE alerts: add the products and versions you run, get the new CVEs that affect them
  • Uptime monitoring: 1 site, instant email when it goes down
  • Add your domain: subdomains and takeover risk scanned every week (1 domain)
  • 10 scans an hour on the security tools, at most 30 a day (3 a day without an account), an API key and MCP
  • All your scans in one panel: findings, what changed in the last scan, a report per domain or per client (PDF, share link)
All free tools

Sign up with email · Have an account? Sign in

Free account, no card. Unfollow any time.

Don't want an account? Get "Exploited this week" by email every MondayDon't want an account? RSS feed for google records
Is your version affected? Check it

Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

We use this product, ask for help

Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
googletensorflow

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (GitHub_M). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • tensorflow tensorflow

    • = 2.3.0affected

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • google tensorflow2.3.0

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
PyPItensorflowfrom 2.3.0 · before 2.3.12.3.1
PyPItensorflowbefore 2.3.12.3.1
PyPItensorflow-cpufrom 2.3.0 · before 2.3.12.3.1
PyPItensorflow-cpubefore 2.3.12.3.1
PyPItensorflow-gpufrom 2.3.0 · before 2.3.12.3.1
PyPItensorflow-gpubefore 2.3.12.3.1

Same product

google: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2023-25668TensorFlow vulnerable to heap out-of-buffer read in the QuantizeAndDequantize operation
    39Monitor
  • CVE-2023-25664TensorFlow vulnerable to Heap Buffer Overflow in AvgPoolGrad
    39Monitor
  • CVE-2022-41900FractionalMaxPool and FractionalAVGPool heap out-of-bounds acess in Tensorflow
    39Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2020-15195Sep 25, 2020 · Heap buffer overflow in Tensorflow
    35Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2020-15196Sep 25, 2020 · Heap buffer overflow in Tensorflow
    39Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2020-15198Sep 25, 2020 · Heap buffer overflow in Tensorflow
    21Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
PyPI:tensorflow2.3.1Package registry (OSV)
PyPI:tensorflow-cpu2.3.1Package registry (OSV)
PyPI:tensorflow-gpu2.3.1Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

Not on record for this CVE: EPSS history · researcher credit · variant or chain candidate · public bounty program.

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
none
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted

Impact can extend beyond the vulnerable component (scope changes).

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
High
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-20 · Improper Input Validation

CVSS vector

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

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

References

Show all references (1 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records