Insecure temporary file in Tensorflow

Impact

In multiple places, TensorFlow uses tempfile.mktemp to create temporary files. While this is acceptable in testing, in utilities and libraries it is dangerous as a different process can create the file between the check for the filename in mktemp and the actual creation of the file by a subsequent operation (a TOC/TOU type of weakness).

In several instances, TensorFlow was supposed to actually create a temporary directory instead of a file. This logic bug is hidden away by the mktemp function usage.

Patches

We have patched the issue in several commits, replacing mktemp with the safer mkstemp/mkdtemp functions, according to the usage pattern. The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.8.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.7.1, TensorFlow 2.6.3, and TensorFlow 2.5.3, as these are also affected and still in supported range.

For more information

Please consult our security guide for more information regarding the security model and how to contact us with issues and questions.

Attribution

This vulnerability has been reported on huntr.dev for one scenario and discovered via variant analysis on other instances.