Skip to content
Heist/ feed
Back to feed
Medium

Security advisory

Type: advisorySources: OSVCVE: CVE-2021-29550

TensorFlow is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. An attacker can cause a runtime division by zero error and denial of service in `tf.raw_ops.FractionalAvgPool`. This is because the implementation(https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/acc8ee69f5f46f92a3f1f11230f49c6ac266f10c/tensorflow/core/kernels/fractional_avg_pool_op.cc#L85-L89) computes a divisor quantity by dividing two user controlled values. The user controls the values of `input_size[i]` and `pooling_ratio_[i]` (via the `value.shape()` and `pooling_ratio` arguments). If the value in `input_size[i]` is smaller than the `pooling_ratio_[i]`, then the floor operation results in `output_size[i]` being 0. The `DCHECK_GT` line is a no-op outside of debug mode, so in released versions of TF this does not trigger. Later, these computed values are used as arguments(https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/acc8ee69f5f46f92a3f1f11230f49c6ac266f10c/tensorflow/core/kernels/fractional_avg_pool_op.cc#L96-L99) to `GeneratePoolingSequence`(https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/acc8ee69f5f46f92a3f1f11230f49c6ac266f10c/tensorflow/core/kernels/fractional_pool_common.cc#L100-L108). There, the first computation is a division in a modulo operation. Since `output_length` can be 0, this results in runtime crashing. The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.5.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.4.2, TensorFlow 2.3.3, TensorFlow 2.2.3 and TensorFlow 2.1.4, as these are also affected an

Products
Not specified
Affected versions
Not specified
Fixed versions
Not specified
CVEs
CVE-2021-29550
Confirmed fixed CVEs
Not specified
Updated in this feed
31 Oct 2026, 12:44 UTC · Revision 1

Source evidence

CVE-2021-29550

core-osv · Original source

Published 14 May 2021, 20:15 UTC

TensorFlow is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. An attacker can cause a runtime division by zero error and denial of service in `tf.raw_ops.FractionalAvgPool`. This is because the implementation(https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/acc8ee69f5f46f92a3f1f11230f49c6ac266f10c/tensorflow/core/kernels/fractional_avg_pool_op.cc#L85-L89) computes a divisor quantity by dividing two user controlled values. The user controls the values of `input_size[i]` and `pooling_ratio_[i]` (via the `value.shape()` and `pooling_ratio` arguments). If the value in `input_size[i]` is smaller than the `pooling_ratio_[i]`, then the floor operation results in `output_size[i]` being 0. The `DCHECK_GT` line is a no-op outside of debug mode, so in released versions of TF this does not trigger. Later, these computed values are used as arguments(https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/acc8ee69f5f46f92a3f1f11230f49c6ac266f10c/tensorflow/core/kernels/fractional_avg_pool_op.cc#L96-L99) to `GeneratePoolingSequence`(https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/acc8ee69f5f46f92a3f1f11230f49c6ac266f10c/tensorflow/core/kernels/fractional_pool_common.cc#L100-L108). There, the first computation is a division in a modulo operation. Since `output_length` can be 0, this results in runtime crashing. The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.5.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.4.2, TensorFlow 2.3.3, TensorFlow 2.2.3 and TensorFlow 2.1.4, as these are also affected an

osv:CVE-2021-29550
Complete source record
{
  "id": "26a872d2077d0ab1471da17245abcadf2f2c731c38daa0000c12a80aa87a3a84",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-29550",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "CVE-2021-29550",
    "summary": "TensorFlow is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. An attacker can cause a runtime division by zero error and denial of service in `tf.raw_ops.FractionalAvgPool`. This is because the implementation(https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/acc8ee69f5f46f92a3f1f11230f49c6ac266f10c/tensorflow/core/kernels/fractional_avg_pool_op.cc#L85-L89) computes a divisor quantity by dividing two user controlled values. The user controls the values of `input_size[i]` and `pooling_ratio_[i]` (via the `value.shape()` and `pooling_ratio` arguments). If the value in `input_size[i]` is smaller than the `pooling_ratio_[i]`, then the floor operation results in `output_size[i]` being 0. The `DCHECK_GT` line is a no-op outside of debug mode, so in released versions of TF this does not trigger. Later, these computed values are used as arguments(https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/acc8ee69f5f46f92a3f1f11230f49c6ac266f10c/tensorflow/core/kernels/fractional_avg_pool_op.cc#L96-L99) to `GeneratePoolingSequence`(https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/acc8ee69f5f46f92a3f1f11230f49c6ac266f10c/tensorflow/core/kernels/fractional_pool_common.cc#L100-L108). There, the first computation is a division in a modulo operation. Since `output_length` can be 0, this results in runtime crashing. The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.5.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.4.2, TensorFlow 2.3.3, TensorFlow 2.2.3 and TensorFlow 2.1.4, as these are also affected an",
    "evidence": "osv:CVE-2021-29550",
    "products": [],
    "severity": "medium",
    "structured": {
      "id": "CVE-2021-29550",
      "aliases": [
        "BIT-tensorflow-2021-29550",
        "CVE-2021-29550",
        "GHSA-f78g-q7r4-9wcv",
        "PYSEC-2021-187",
        "PYSEC-2021-478",
        "PYSEC-2021-676"
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "type": "CVSS_V3",
          "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
        }
      ],
      "affected": [
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "repo": "https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow",
              "type": "GIT",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "0931ea3d985bb9c8fdd054a5e29c4129623c849b"
                },
                {
                  "introduced": "2b96f3662bd776e277f86997659e61046b56c315"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "cfe0c80169ae984bcdc99ff6de7444164aaa8e07"
                },
                {
                  "introduced": "b36436b087bd8e8701ef51718179037cccdfc26e"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "3929ffacfbef7c431e8397920d040aaf47acff19"
                },
                {
                  "introduced": "582c8d236cb079023657287c318ff26adb239002"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "1923123d32ea41d92b70a27a3f6ecf0763b56f6c"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "548b5eaf23685d86f722233d8fbc21d0a4aecb96"
                }
              ],
              "database_specific": {
                "extracted_events": [
                  {
                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:google:tensorflow:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "introduced": "0"
                      },
                      {
                        "fixed": "2.1.4"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "CPE_RANGE"
                  },
                  {
                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:google:tensorflow:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "introduced": "2.2.0"
                      },
                      {
                        "fixed": "2.2.3"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "CPE_RANGE"
                  },
                  {
                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:google:tensorflow:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "introduced": "2.3.0"
                      },
                      {
                        "fixed": "2.3.3"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "CPE_RANGE"
                  },
                  {
                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:google:tensorflow:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "introduced": "2.4.0"
                      },
                      {
                        "fixed": "2.4.2"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "CPE_RANGE"
                  },
                  {
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "fixed": "548b5eaf23685d86f722233d8fbc21d0a4aecb96"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "REFERENCES_COMMIT"
                  }
                ]
              }
            }
          ],
          "versions": [
            "v2.1.3",
            "v2.2.2",
            "v2.3.2",
            "v2.4.1",
            "v2.1.2",
            "v2.2.1",
            "v2.4.0",
            "v2.3.1",
            "v2.2.0",
            "v2.1.1",
            "v2.3.0",
            "v2.1.0",
            "v2.1.0-rc0",
            "v2.1.0-rc2",
            "v2.1.0-rc1",
            "v1.12.1",
            "v1.9.0-rc2",
            "v1.6.0-rc1",
            "v1.1.0-rc2",
            "v1.1.0-rc1",
            "0.6.0",
            "0.5.0"
          ],
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2021-29550.json",
            "vanir_signatures": [
              {
                "id": "CVE-2021-29550-681b9ee2",
                "digest": {
                  "threshold": 0.9,
                  "line_hashes": [
                    "30258575323381258973554969203419717594",
                    "224989720836097103210602957432137464041",
                    "95700369928321232904301882265064987986",
                    "326914006267577133644273017424435833843"
                  ]
                },
                "source": "https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/548b5eaf23685d86f722233d8fbc21d0a4aecb96",
                "target": {
                  "file": "tensorflow/core/kernels/fractional_avg_pool_op.cc"
                },
                "deprecated": false,
                "signature_type": "Line",
                "signature_version": "v1"
              }
            ],
            "vanir_signatures_modified": "2026-10-20T14:24:25Z"
          }
        }
      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-20T14:24:25.649386989Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "references": [
        "https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/548b5eaf23685d86f722233d8fbc21d0a4aecb96",
        "https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/security/advisories/GHSA-f78g-q7r4-9wcv"
      ],
      "provider_metadata": {}
    },
    "related_cves": [
      {
        "value": "CVE-2021-29550",
        "evidence": "/id"
      }
    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 388908,
  "published_at": "2021-05-14T20:15:12.897+00:00"
}