How severe is CVE-2021-29540?

CVE-2021-29540 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-2021-29540 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (12th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-29540?

CVE-2021-29540 affects Google Tensorflow. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-29540?

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

When was CVE-2021-29540 published?

CVE-2021-29540 was published on 2021-05-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-29540

CVE-2021-29540 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-787.

Key facts

Severity: Low (CVSS 3.x base score 2.5)
CVSS v2: 4.6
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (12th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-787
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. An attacker can cause a heap buffer overflow to occur in `Conv2DBackpropFilter`. This is because the implementation(https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/1b0296c3b8dd9bd948f924aa8cd62f87dbb7c3da/tensorflow/core/kernels/conv_grad_filter_ops.cc#L495-L497) computes the size of the filter tensor but does not validate that it matches the number of elements in `filter_sizes`. Later, when reading/writing to this buffer, code uses the value computed here, instead of the number of elements in the tensor. 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-2021-29540?: TensorFlow is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. An attacker can cause a heap buffer overflow to occur in `Conv2DBackpropFilter`. This is because the implementation(https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/1b0296c3b8dd9bd948f924aa8cd62f87dbb7c3da/tensorflow/core/kernels/conv_grad_filter_ops.cc#L495-L497) computes the size of the filter tensor but does not validate that it matches the number of elements in `filter_sizes`. Later, when reading/writing to this buffer, code uses the value computed here, instead of the number of elements in the tensor. 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-2021-29540?: CVE-2021-29540 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-2021-29540 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (12th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-29540?: CVE-2021-29540 affects Google Tensorflow. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-29540?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-29540 published?: CVE-2021-29540 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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