Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A TensorFlow API used to create summary file writers can crash when given non-scalar arguments. The impact is denial of service, not data theft or code execution. Business urgency is moderate and highest where untrusted users or jobs can influence TensorFlow logging or training code.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation during normal patch cycles, faster for shared ML platforms or hosted notebook environments. The main business risk is workload interruption from process crashes, not compromise of data or systems based on the supplied evidence.
Technical view
CVE-2021-41200 is incomplete validation in tf.summary.create_file_writer. A non-scalar argument can trigger a CHECK failure and process crash. Sources list CWE-617 and CVSS 5.5: local, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, high availability impact, and no confidentiality or integrity impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to TensorFlow deployments using affected versions: >=2.6.0,<2.6.1; >=2.5.0,<2.5.2; and <2.4.4. Risk depends on whether callers can pass untrusted or uncontrolled values into TensorFlow summary writer creation.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. The CVSS vector requires local access and low privileges. Practical abuse would mainly disrupt a process using the affected TensorFlow API.
Researcher notes
The root issue is a CHECK-fail caused by incomplete argument validation in tf.summary.create_file_writer. The vendor advisory names affected supported branches and patched releases. No exploit details, public weaponization, or compensating controls beyond upgrade and vendor guidance are provided in the bundle.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade TensorFlow to 2.7.0 or a patched supported branch release.
- Use TensorFlow 2.6.1, 2.5.2, or 2.4.4 where branch compatibility is required.
- Check the GitHub advisory before choosing a final remediation path.
- Reduce untrusted influence over TensorFlow logging and summary-writer arguments.
Validation and detection
- Review dependency manifests and runtime environments for affected TensorFlow versions.
- Identify code paths that call tf.summary.create_file_writer.
- Check whether non-scalar or user-controlled values can reach that API.
- Confirm upgraded environments use a patched TensorFlow release.
- Run regression tests covering TensorFlow training, logging, and summary-writing workflows.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
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ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-617: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-41200 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H1.83.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/security/advisories/GHSA-gh8h-7j2j-qv4fCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/issues/46909CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/874bda09e6702cd50bac90b453b50bcc65b2769eCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Reachable Assertion
Reachable Assertion represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.