HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2019-16778
CRITICAL

CVE-2019-16778

CWE-122Published: December 16, 2019· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

In TensorFlow before 1.15, a heap buffer overflow in UnsortedSegmentSum can be produced when the Index template argument is int32. In this case data_size and num_segments fields are truncated from int64 to int32 and can produce negative numbers, resulting in accessing out of bounds heap memory. This is unlikely to be exploitable and was detected and fixed internally in TensorFlow 1.15 and 2.0.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2019-16778 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Google1 product(s)
tensorflow
Source: NVD CPE · 1 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
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Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttps://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/db4f9717c41bccc3ce10099ab61996b246099892
PATCHhttps://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/security/advisories/GHSA-844w-j86r-4x2j
PATCHhttps://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/db4f9717c41bccc3ce10099ab61996b246099892
PATCHhttps://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/security/advisories/GHSA-844w-j86r-4x2j
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/master/tensorflow/security/advisory/tfsa-2019-002.md
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/master/tensorflow/security/advisory/tfsa-2019-002.md

All References (6)

→
https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/master/tensorflow/security/advisory/tfsa-2019-002.mdThird Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/db4f9717c41bccc3ce10099ab61996b246099892Patch
→
https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/security/advisories/GHSA-844w-j86r-4x2jPatch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/master/tensorflow/security/advisory/tfsa-2019-002.mdThird Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/db4f9717c41bccc3ce10099ab61996b246099892Patch
→
https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/security/advisories/GHSA-844w-j86r-4x2jPatch · Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2019-16778
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-122
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedDec 16, 2019

Related CVEs (CWE-122)

CVE-2025-23123
10.0
CVE-2021-25387
10.0
CVE-2026-24822
10.0
CVE-2022-34819
10.0
CVE-2026-46752
10.0
CVE-2021-21940
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2019-16778 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWatch. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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