CVE-2020-15191 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

In Tensorflow before versions 2.2.1 and 2.3.1, passing an invalid argument to

dlpack.to_dlpack

can lead to undefined behavior due to improper validation, potentially causing variables to bind to

nullptr

and resulting in null pointer references.

Understanding CVE-2020-15191

This CVE highlights a vulnerability in Tensorflow versions 2.2.0 and 2.3.0 that can lead to null pointer dereference due to unchecked arguments.

What is CVE-2020-15191?

This CVE pertains to a situation where passing an invalid argument to a specific function in Tensorflow can result in undefined behavior, potentially leading to null pointer references.

The Impact of CVE-2020-15191

The impact of this vulnerability is rated as MEDIUM with a CVSS base score of 5.3. It has a low attack complexity and vector, affecting availability but not confidentiality or integrity.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-15191

This section provides more technical insights into the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The issue arises from improper validation of arguments in Tensorflow, leading to null pointer references.

Affected Systems and Versions

Affected versions: Tensorflow 2.2.0 and 2.3.0

Exploitation Mechanism

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by passing an invalid argument to

dlpack.to_dlpack

, triggering undefined behavior.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2020-15191, follow these mitigation strategies:

Immediate Steps to Take

Update Tensorflow to versions 2.2.1 or 2.3.1, where the issue is patched.
Avoid passing invalid arguments to

dlpack.to_dlpack

.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update Tensorflow to the latest versions to ensure all security patches are applied.
Conduct code reviews to identify and address similar vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Apply the patch provided in commit 22e07fb204386768e5bcbea563641ea11f96ceb8 to fix the vulnerability.