CVE-2020-5215
In TensorFlow before 1.15.2 and 2.0.1, converting a string (from Python) to a tf.float16 value results in a segmentation fault in eager mode as the format checks for this use case are only in the graph mode. This issue can lead to denial of service in inference/training where a malicious attacker can send a data point which contains a string instead of a tf.float16 value. Similar effects can be obtained by manipulating saved models and checkpoints whereby replacing a scalar tf.float16 value with a scalar string will trigger this issue due to automatic conversions. This can be easily reproduced by tf.constant("hello", tf.float16), if eager execution is enabled. This issue is patched in TensorFlow 1.15.1 and 2.0.1 with this vulnerability patched. TensorFlow 2.1.0 was released after we fixed the issue, thus it is not affected. Users are encouraged to switch to TensorFlow 1.15.1, 2.0.1 or 2.1.0.
| Software | From | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| google / tensorflow | 2.0.0 | 2.0.1 |
| google / tensorflow | - | 1.15.2 |
tensorflow
|
- | 1.15.2 |
|
tensorflow
|
2.0.0 | 2.0.0.x |
|
tensorflow
|
2.0.0 | 2.0.1 |
|
tensorflow-cpu
|
- | 1.15.2 |
|
tensorflow-cpu
|
2.0.0 | 2.0.0.x |
|
tensorflow-cpu
|
2.0.0 | 2.0.1 |
|
tensorflow-gpu
|
- | 1.15.2 |
|
tensorflow-gpu
|
2.0.0 | 2.0.0.x |
|
tensorflow-gpu
|
2.0.0 | 2.0.1 |
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A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.
CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.
A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.
Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.
Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.
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