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Security advisory

Type: advisorySources: OSVCVE: CVE-2021-37649

TensorFlow is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. The code for `tf.raw_ops.UncompressElement` can be made to trigger a null pointer dereference. The [implementation](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/f24faa153ad31a4b51578f8181d3aaab77a1ddeb/tensorflow/core/kernels/data/experimental/compression_ops.cc#L50-L53) obtains a pointer to a `CompressedElement` from a `Variant` tensor and then proceeds to dereference it for decompressing. There is no check that the `Variant` tensor contained a `CompressedElement`, so the pointer is actually `nullptr`. We have patched the issue in GitHub commit 7bdf50bb4f5c54a4997c379092888546c97c3ebd. The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.6.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.5.1, TensorFlow 2.4.3, and TensorFlow 2.3.4, as these are also affected and still in supported range.

Products
Not specified
Affected versions
Not specified
Fixed versions
Not specified
CVEs
CVE-2021-37649
Confirmed fixed CVEs
Not specified
Updated in this feed
31 Oct 2026, 12:39 UTC · Revision 1

Source evidence

CVE-2021-37649

core-osv · Original source

Published 12 Aug 2021, 19:15 UTC

TensorFlow is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. The code for `tf.raw_ops.UncompressElement` can be made to trigger a null pointer dereference. The [implementation](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/f24faa153ad31a4b51578f8181d3aaab77a1ddeb/tensorflow/core/kernels/data/experimental/compression_ops.cc#L50-L53) obtains a pointer to a `CompressedElement` from a `Variant` tensor and then proceeds to dereference it for decompressing. There is no check that the `Variant` tensor contained a `CompressedElement`, so the pointer is actually `nullptr`. We have patched the issue in GitHub commit 7bdf50bb4f5c54a4997c379092888546c97c3ebd. The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.6.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.5.1, TensorFlow 2.4.3, and TensorFlow 2.3.4, as these are also affected and still in supported range.

osv:CVE-2021-37649
Complete source record
{
  "id": "8ea289b460488a1785af1699730e8caf9aade069932b2f6cc4c6efe8de9d8944",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-37649",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "CVE-2021-37649",
    "summary": "TensorFlow is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. The code for `tf.raw_ops.UncompressElement` can be made to trigger a null pointer dereference. The [implementation](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/f24faa153ad31a4b51578f8181d3aaab77a1ddeb/tensorflow/core/kernels/data/experimental/compression_ops.cc#L50-L53) obtains a pointer to a `CompressedElement` from a `Variant` tensor and then proceeds to dereference it for decompressing. There is no check that the `Variant` tensor contained a `CompressedElement`, so the pointer is actually `nullptr`. We have patched the issue in GitHub commit 7bdf50bb4f5c54a4997c379092888546c97c3ebd. The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.6.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.5.1, TensorFlow 2.4.3, and TensorFlow 2.3.4, as these are also affected and still in supported range.",
    "evidence": "osv:CVE-2021-37649",
    "products": [],
    "severity": "medium",
    "structured": {
      "id": "CVE-2021-37649",
      "aliases": [
        "BIT-tensorflow-2021-37649",
        "CVE-2021-37649",
        "GHSA-6gv8-p3vj-pxvr",
        "PYSEC-2021-271",
        "PYSEC-2021-562",
        "PYSEC-2021-760"
      ],
      "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": [
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              "events": [
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                },
                {
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                },
                {
                  "introduced": "582c8d236cb079023657287c318ff26adb239002"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "4c0b84bf2a714bcdd18da1f1f94d533d72399d52"
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                {
                  "fixed": "7bdf50bb4f5c54a4997c379092888546c97c3ebd"
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              ],
              "database_specific": {
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                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:google:tensorflow:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "introduced": "2.3.0"
                      },
                      {
                        "fixed": "2.3.4"
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                    ],
                    "source": "CPE_RANGE"
                  },
                  {
                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:google:tensorflow:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                    "range": [
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                        "introduced": "2.4.0"
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                      {
                        "fixed": "2.4.3"
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                    "range": [
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                    "range": [
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                    ],
                    "source": "CPE_STRING"
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                  {
                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:google:tensorflow:2.6.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                    "range": [
                      {
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                      },
                      {
                        "last_affected": "2.6.0-rc1"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "CPE_STRING"
                  },
                  {
                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:google:tensorflow:2.6.0:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                    "range": [
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                      {
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                    "source": "CPE_STRING"
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                  {
                    "range": [
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                    "source": "REFERENCES_COMMIT"
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                ]
              }
            }
          ],
          "versions": [
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            "2.6.0-rc1",
            "2.6.0-rc2",
            "v2.3.3",
            "v2.4.2",
            "v2.3.2",
            "v2.4.1",
            "v2.4.0",
            "v2.3.1",
            "v2.3.0"
          ],
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2021-37649.json",
            "vanir_signatures": [
              {
                "id": "CVE-2021-37649-bf63335a",
                "digest": {
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                  "function_hash": "268992785921103526200681597140324494453"
                },
                "source": "https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/7bdf50bb4f5c54a4997c379092888546c97c3ebd",
                "target": {
                  "file": "tensorflow/core/kernels/data/experimental/compression_ops.cc",
                  "function": "UncompressElementOp::Compute"
                },
                "deprecated": false,
                "signature_type": "Function",
                "signature_version": "v1"
              },
              {
                "id": "CVE-2021-37649-f9704f58",
                "digest": {
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                  "line_hashes": [
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                "source": "https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/7bdf50bb4f5c54a4997c379092888546c97c3ebd",
                "target": {
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                "signature_type": "Line",
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            ],
            "vanir_signatures_modified": "2026-10-20T14:10:50Z"
          }
        }
      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-20T14:10:50.379131621Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "references": [
        "https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/security/advisories/GHSA-6gv8-p3vj-pxvr",
        "https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/7bdf50bb4f5c54a4997c379092888546c97c3ebd"
      ],
      "provider_metadata": {}
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    "related_cves": [
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        "value": "CVE-2021-37649",
        "evidence": "/id"
      }
    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 388662,
  "published_at": "2021-08-12T19:15:09.057+00:00"
}