CVE-2022-41898 : Security Advisory and Response

This article provides detailed information about CVE-2022-41898, a vulnerability in TensorFlow affecting certain versions, leading to a denial of service when specific inputs are provided.

Understanding CVE-2022-41898

This section delves into the nature of the vulnerability and its impact, along with the affected systems and versions, and the steps to mitigate and prevent exploitation.

What is CVE-2022-41898?

CVE-2022-41898 is a vulnerability in TensorFlow that causes a crash when the 'SparseFillEmptyRowsGrad' function receives empty inputs. The issue has been patched in a recent GitHub commit.

The Impact of CVE-2022-41898

The vulnerability allows an attacker to cause a denial of service by providing specific inputs to the affected function in TensorFlow, leading to a crash and potential disruption of services.

Technical Details of CVE-2022-41898

This section provides technical insights into the vulnerability, including its description, affected systems and versions, as well as the exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

TensorFlow versions 2.10.0 to 2.10.1, 2.9.0 to 2.9.3, and any versions below 2.8.4 are affected by this vulnerability, which triggers a crash if empty inputs are passed to the 'SparseFillEmptyRowsGrad' function.

Affected Systems and Versions

The vulnerability impacts TensorFlow versions 2.10.0 to 2.10.1, 2.9.0 to 2.9.3, and versions below 2.8.4, potentially leading to a denial of service.

Exploitation Mechanism

By providing empty inputs to the 'SparseFillEmptyRowsGrad' function, an attacker can exploit the vulnerability to crash TensorFlow, causing a denial of service.

Mitigation and Prevention

This section outlines steps to mitigate the CVE-2022-41898 vulnerability and prevent potential exploitation.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users are advised to update their TensorFlow installations to versions 2.11 or later to receive the patch for CVE-2022-41898 and prevent potential crashes due to empty inputs.

Long-Term Security Practices

Maintaining up-to-date software versions, monitoring security advisories, and implementing secure coding practices can help prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future.

Patching and Updates

TensorFlow has released patches for versions 2.10.1, 2.9.3, and 2.8.4 to address the CVE-2022-41898 vulnerability. Users are recommended to apply these patches promptly to enhance the security of their machine learning workflows.