HighVulnerability

CVE-2021-37689: TensorFlow denial of service via crafted TFLite model in MLIR optimization

Source: NVD(opens in a new tab)
Identifier: CVE-2021-37689
Published: August 12, 2021
Record updated: October 9, 2026

Affected: tensorflow < 2.3.4, fixed in 2.3.4, released August 10, 2021, 3 days before disclosure
tensorflow >= 2.4.0, < 2.4.3, fixed in 2.4.3, released August 10, 2021, 3 days before disclosure
tensorflow = 2.5.0, fixed in 2.5.1, released August 10, 2021, 3 days before disclosure
and 6 more
Known exploitation: Not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog at the last check.
EPSS: 0.2%

Summary

TensorFlow's MLIR optimization of the `L2NormalizeReduceAxis` operator unconditionally dereferences an iterator to a vector without checking that the vector has elements. An attacker can exploit this by crafting a TFLite model that triggers a null pointer dereference, causing a crash and denial of service.

Mitigation

Patched in GitHub commit d6b57f461b39fd1aa8c1b870f1b974aac3554955. The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.6.0, and the commit will be cherrypicked to TensorFlow 2.5.1, TensorFlow 2.4.3, and TensorFlow 2.3.4.

Details

Scores and exploitation

CVSS score: 7.8(high)
Patch available: Yes
EPSS: 0.2%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-476

Affected

Packages: tensorflow@< 2.3.4 (fixed: 2.3.4)
tensorflow@>= 2.4.0, < 2.4.3 (fixed: 2.4.3)
tensorflow@= 2.5.0 (fixed: 2.5.1)
tensorflow-cpu@< 2.3.4 (fixed: 2.3.4)
tensorflow-cpu@>= 2.4.0, < 2.4.3 (fixed: 2.4.3)
tensorflow-cpu@= 2.5.0 (fixed: 2.5.1)
tensorflow-gpu@< 2.3.4 (fixed: 2.3.4)
tensorflow-gpu@>= 2.4.0, < 2.4.3 (fixed: 2.4.3)
tensorflow-gpu@= 2.5.0 (fixed: 2.5.1)
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-2021-37689

First tracked: February 15, 2026 at 08:39 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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