MediumVulnerability

CVE-2020-5215: TensorFlow segmentation fault from string to float16 conversion in eager mode

Source: NVD(opens in a new tab)
Identifier: CVE-2020-5215
Published: January 28, 2020
Record updated: October 10, 2026

Affected: tensorflow < 1.15.2, fixed in 1.15.2, released January 26, 2020, 3 days before disclosure
tensorflow = 2.0.0, fixed in 2.0.1, released January 26, 2020, 3 days before disclosure
tensorflow-cpu < 1.15.2, fixed in 1.15.2
and 3 more
Known exploitation: Not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog at the last check.
EPSS: 0.6%

Summary

CVE-2020-5215 affects TensorFlow before 1.15.2 and 2.0.1. Converting a string from Python to a tf.float16 value causes a segmentation fault in eager mode, because the format checks exist only in graph mode. An attacker can trigger a denial of service during inference or training by supplying a string where a tf.float16 value is expected, or by replacing a scalar tf.float16 value with a scalar string in saved models and checkpoints. The issue reproduces with tf.constant("hello", tf.float16) when eager execution is enabled.

Mitigation

Patched in TensorFlow 1.15.1 and 2.0.1. TensorFlow 2.1.0 is not affected. Users are encouraged to switch to TensorFlow 1.15.1, 2.0.1 or 2.1.0.

Details

Scores and exploitation

CVSS score: 5(medium)
Patch available: Yes
EPSS: 0.6%Estimated probability that this CVE is exploited in the next 30 days, from the FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System. Read on November 4, 2026.

Weaknesses and techniques

Weakness (CWE): CWE-754
CWE-20

Affected

Packages: tensorflow@< 1.15.2 (fixed: 1.15.2)
tensorflow@= 2.0.0 (fixed: 2.0.1)
tensorflow-cpu@< 1.15.2 (fixed: 1.15.2)
tensorflow-cpu@= 2.0.0 (fixed: 2.0.1)
tensorflow-gpu@< 1.15.2 (fixed: 1.15.2)
tensorflow-gpu@= 2.0.0 (fixed: 2.0.1)
Vendors: Google

Classification

Attack type: Denial of service
Attack sophistication: Trivial
AI component targeted: Framework
Impact: Availability
Labels: security

How this record was produced

Summaries, mitigations and labels on this page are generated automatically from the source. The linked source is authoritative. The source gives this advisory a description and no title, so the title above is a headline generated from the source text.

Original source: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-5215

First tracked: February 15, 2026 at 08:38 PM ET, from NVD/CVE Database

Classifier: claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v4

Classifier confidence: 95% (self-assessed)

Affected packages in the Exposure Registry

Matched by package name and ecosystem. Each entry shows whether the package delegates to a language model and how many tracked packages depend on it.

tensorflowPyPINo LLM dependency detected · 26 tracked dependents
tensorflow-gpuPyPINo LLM dependency detected · 2 tracked dependents

Summary

Mitigation

Affected packages in the Exposure Registry

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