CVE-2026-28779: Apache Airflow Path Of Session Token Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4fhm-p86v-hwpx
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-668
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-28779 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) path of session token vulnerability (CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere) affecting Apache Airflow libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves path of session token in cookie does not consider base_url - session hijacking via co-hosted applications. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.1.8.

CVE-2026-28779 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-28779
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4fhm-p86v-hwpx
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere
Affected Product Apache Airflow
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2026-28779

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Apache Airflow dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

apache-airflow fixed: 3.1.8 
pip install apache-airflow>=3.1.8
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

pip show apache-airflow

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2026-28779, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show apache-airflow

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Apache Airflow in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.1.8), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show apache-airflow command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere, where the product exposes a resource to the wrong control sphere, providing unintended actors with inappropriate access to the resource. In Apache Airflow, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Apache Airflow versions 3.1.0 through 3.1.7 session token (_token) in cookies is set to path=/ regardless of the configured [webserver] base_url or [api] base_url. This allows any application co-hosted under the same domain to capture valid Airflow session tokens from HTTP request headers, allowing full session takeover without attacking Airflow itself. Users are recommended to upgrade to Apache Airflow 3.1.8 or later, which resolves this issue.

CVE-2026-28779 Affected Apache Airflow Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.1.8
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
apache-airflow
pypi/apache-airflow
PyPI
≥ 3.0.0
< 3.1.8
3.1.8

References

NVD — CVE-2026-28779 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28779
Apache Airflow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/62771
Apache Airflow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/airflow
Apache Airflow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/apache-airflow/PYSEC-2026-16.yaml
lists.apache.org/thread/r4n5znb8mcq1... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread/r4n5znb8mcq14wo9v8ndml36nxlksdqb
Apache Airflow Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/03/17/3

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-28779?
CVE-2026-28779 is a security vulnerability in Apache Airflow involving Path of session token in cookie does not consider base_url - session hijacking via co-hosted applications under CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere.
Which Apache Airflow versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.1.8 across affected packages: apache-airflow.
What version fixes CVE-2026-28779?
Upgrading to 3.1.8 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is apache-airflow affected?
Yes, apache-airflow is affected in releases prior to 3.1.8. Upgrade your dependency to 3.1.8 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-28779?
CVE-2026-28779 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-28779?
CVE-2026-28779 is classified under CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere (The product exposes a resource to the wrong control sphere, providing unintended actors with inappropriate access to the resource.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2026-28779?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show apache-airflow'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-4fhm-p86v-hwpx",
  "modified" : "2026-06-05T14:26:13Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-17T12:30:20Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-28779" ],
  "summary" : "Apache Airflow: Path of session token in cookie does not consider base_url - session hijacking via co-hosted applications",
  "details" : "Apache Airflow versions 3.1.0 through 3.1.7 session token (_token) in cookies is set to path=/ regardless of the configured [webserver] base_url or [api] base_url.\nThis allows any application co-hosted under the same domain to capture valid Airflow session tokens from HTTP request headers, allowing full session takeover without attacking Airflow itself.\n\nUsers are recommended to upgrade to Apache Airflow 3.1.8 or later, which resolves this issue.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "apache-airflow"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.8"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28779"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/62771"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/airflow"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/apache-airflow/PYSEC-2026-16.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread/r4n5znb8mcq14wo9v8ndml36nxlksdqb"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/03/17/3"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-668" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-18T16:32:54Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-03-17T11:16:11Z"
  }
}