How severe is CVE-2021-37688?

CVE-2021-37688 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-37688 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (6th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-37688?

CVE-2021-37688 primarily affects Google Tensorflow. In total, 5 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-37688?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2021-37688 published?

CVE-2021-37688 was published on 2021-08-12 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-37688

CVE-2021-37688 is a high-severity vulnerability in Google Tensorflow with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. 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: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 2.1
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (6th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-476
Affected product: Google Tensorflow
Published: 2021-08-12
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

TensorFlow is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. In affected versions an attacker can craft a TFLite model that would trigger a null pointer dereference, which would result in a crash and denial of service. The [implementation](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/149562d49faa709ea80df1d99fc41d005b81082a/tensorflow/lite/kernels/internal/optimized/optimized_ops.h#L268-L285) unconditionally dereferences a pointer. We have patched the issue in GitHub commit 15691e456c7dc9bd6be203b09765b063bf4a380c. The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.6.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.5.1, TensorFlow 2.4.3, and TensorFlow 2.3.4, as these are also affected and still in supported range.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-37688?: TensorFlow is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. In affected versions an attacker can craft a TFLite model that would trigger a null pointer dereference, which would result in a crash and denial of service. The [implementation](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/149562d49faa709ea80df1d99fc41d005b81082a/tensorflow/lite/kernels/internal/optimized/optimized_ops.h#L268-L285) unconditionally dereferences a pointer. We have patched the issue in GitHub commit 15691e456c7dc9bd6be203b09765b063bf4a380c. The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.6.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.5.1, TensorFlow 2.4.3, and TensorFlow 2.3.4, as these are also affected and still in supported range.
How severe is CVE-2021-37688?: CVE-2021-37688 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-37688 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (6th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-37688?: CVE-2021-37688 primarily affects Google Tensorflow. In total, 5 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-37688?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2021-37688 published?: CVE-2021-37688 was published on 2021-08-12 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (5)

cpe:2.3:a:google:tensorflow:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:google:tensorflow:2.5.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:google:tensorflow:2.6.0:rc0:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:google:tensorflow:2.6.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:google:tensorflow:2.6.0:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Google Tensorflow

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Other CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference) vulnerabilities

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CVE-2010-2495 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The pppol2tp_xmit function in drivers/net/pppol2tp.c in the L2TP implementation in the Linux kernel before 2.6.34 does…
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CVE-2026-31436 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dmaengine: idxd: fix possible wrong descriptor…

Browse all CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference) vulnerabilities →