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Security advisory

Type: advisorySources: OSVCVE: CVE-2021-29571

TensorFlow is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. The implementation of `tf.raw_ops.MaxPoolGradWithArgmax` can cause reads outside of bounds of heap allocated data if attacker supplies specially crafted inputs. The implementation(https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/31bd5026304677faa8a0b77602c6154171b9aec1/tensorflow/core/kernels/image/draw_bounding_box_op.cc#L116-L130) assumes that the last element of `boxes` input is 4, as required by [the op](https://www.tensorflow.org/api_docs/python/tf/raw_ops/DrawBoundingBoxesV2). Since this is not checked attackers passing values less than 4 can write outside of bounds of heap allocated objects and cause memory corruption. If the last dimension in `boxes` is less than 4, accesses similar to `tboxes(b, bb, 3)` will access data outside of bounds. Further during code execution there are also writes to these indices. 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 and still in supported range.

Products
Not specified
Affected versions
Not specified
Fixed versions
Not specified
CVEs
CVE-2021-29571
Confirmed fixed CVEs
Not specified
Updated in this feed
31 Oct 2026, 12:44 UTC · Revision 1

Source evidence

CVE-2021-29571

core-osv · Original source

Published 14 May 2021, 20:15 UTC

TensorFlow is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. The implementation of `tf.raw_ops.MaxPoolGradWithArgmax` can cause reads outside of bounds of heap allocated data if attacker supplies specially crafted inputs. The implementation(https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/31bd5026304677faa8a0b77602c6154171b9aec1/tensorflow/core/kernels/image/draw_bounding_box_op.cc#L116-L130) assumes that the last element of `boxes` input is 4, as required by [the op](https://www.tensorflow.org/api_docs/python/tf/raw_ops/DrawBoundingBoxesV2). Since this is not checked attackers passing values less than 4 can write outside of bounds of heap allocated objects and cause memory corruption. If the last dimension in `boxes` is less than 4, accesses similar to `tboxes(b, bb, 3)` will access data outside of bounds. Further during code execution there are also writes to these indices. 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 and still in supported range.

osv:CVE-2021-29571
Complete source record
{
  "id": "8259e596ce39f1b835f020e82e703552060e6ae68e8095de3c8033bb46381c62",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-29571",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "CVE-2021-29571",
    "summary": "TensorFlow is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. The implementation of `tf.raw_ops.MaxPoolGradWithArgmax` can cause reads outside of bounds of heap allocated data if attacker supplies specially crafted inputs. The implementation(https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/31bd5026304677faa8a0b77602c6154171b9aec1/tensorflow/core/kernels/image/draw_bounding_box_op.cc#L116-L130) assumes that the last element of `boxes` input is 4, as required by [the op](https://www.tensorflow.org/api_docs/python/tf/raw_ops/DrawBoundingBoxesV2). Since this is not checked attackers passing values less than 4 can write outside of bounds of heap allocated objects and cause memory corruption. If the last dimension in `boxes` is less than 4, accesses similar to `tboxes(b, bb, 3)` will access data outside of bounds. Further during code execution there are also writes to these indices. 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 and still in supported range.",
    "evidence": "osv:CVE-2021-29571",
    "products": [],
    "severity": "high",
    "structured": {
      "id": "CVE-2021-29571",
      "aliases": [
        "BIT-tensorflow-2021-29571",
        "CVE-2021-29571",
        "GHSA-whr9-vfh2-7hm6",
        "PYSEC-2021-208",
        "PYSEC-2021-499",
        "PYSEC-2021-697"
      ],
      "metrics": [
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          "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
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                {
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              "database_specific": {
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                    "source": "CPE_RANGE"
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                  {
                    "range": [
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                    ],
                    "source": "REFERENCES_COMMIT"
                  }
                ]
              }
            }
          ],
          "versions": [
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            "v2.1.2",
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            "v1.1.0-rc1",
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          ],
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2021-29571.json",
            "vanir_signatures": [
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                "source": "https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/79865b542f9ffdc9caeb255631f7c56f1d4b6517",
                "target": {
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                "signature_type": "Line",
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            "vanir_signatures_modified": "2026-10-20T14:24:31Z"
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      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-20T14:24:31.272888746Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "references": [
        "https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/79865b542f9ffdc9caeb255631f7c56f1d4b6517",
        "https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/security/advisories/GHSA-whr9-vfh2-7hm6"
      ],
      "provider_metadata": {}
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    "related_cves": [
      {
        "value": "CVE-2021-29571",
        "evidence": "/id"
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    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 388926,
  "published_at": "2021-05-14T20:15:13.877+00:00"
}