How severe is CVE-2021-29518?

CVE-2021-29518 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 2.5, rated low severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability low.

Is CVE-2021-29518 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (10th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-29518?

CVE-2021-29518 affects Google Tensorflow. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-29518?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2021-29518 published?

CVE-2021-29518 was published on 2021-05-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-29518

CVE-2021-29518 is a low-severity vulnerability in Google Tensorflow with a CVSS 3.x base score of 2.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-476.

Key facts

Severity: Low (CVSS 3.x base score 2.5)
CVSS v2: 4.6
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (10th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-476
Affected product: Google Tensorflow
Published: 2021-05-14
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

TensorFlow is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. In eager mode (default in TF 2.0 and later), session operations are invalid. However, users could still call the raw ops associated with them and trigger a null pointer dereference. The implementation(https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/eebb96c2830d48597d055d247c0e9aebaea94cd5/tensorflow/core/kernels/session_ops.cc#L104) dereferences the session state pointer without checking if it is valid. Thus, in eager mode, `ctx->session_state()` is nullptr and the call of the member function is undefined behavior. The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.5.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.4.2, TensorFlow 2.3.3, TensorFlow 2.2.3 and TensorFlow 2.1.4, as these are also affected and still in supported range.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-29518?: TensorFlow is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. In eager mode (default in TF 2.0 and later), session operations are invalid. However, users could still call the raw ops associated with them and trigger a null pointer dereference. The implementation(https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/eebb96c2830d48597d055d247c0e9aebaea94cd5/tensorflow/core/kernels/session_ops.cc#L104) dereferences the session state pointer without checking if it is valid. Thus, in eager mode, `ctx->session_state()` is nullptr and the call of the member function is undefined behavior. The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.5.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.4.2, TensorFlow 2.3.3, TensorFlow 2.2.3 and TensorFlow 2.1.4, as these are also affected and still in supported range.
How severe is CVE-2021-29518?: CVE-2021-29518 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 2.5, rated low severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability low.
Is CVE-2021-29518 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (10th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-29518?: CVE-2021-29518 affects Google Tensorflow. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-29518?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-29518 published?: CVE-2021-29518 was published on 2021-05-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:google:tensorflow:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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