CVE-2020-17511: Apache airflow Apache Airflow Logs Passwords Vulnerability

LOW
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-cvcq-gmc3-q6m8
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CVSS 2.8
CWE-312
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-17511 is a LOW (CVSS 2.8) apache airflow logs passwords vulnerability (CWE-312: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information) affecting Apache airflow libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves apache airflow logs passwords in plaintext. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.10.13.

CVE-2020-17511 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-17511
GHSA Identifier GHSA-cvcq-gmc3-q6m8
Severity LOW
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 2.8
CWE Classification CWE-312: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information
Affected Product Apache airflow
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 2.8

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2020-17511

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: 1.10.13 
pip install apache-airflow>=1.10.13
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-2020-17511, 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 1.10.13), 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-312: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information, where the product stores sensitive information in cleartext within a resource that might be accessible to another control sphere. 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

In Airflow versions prior to 1.10.13, when creating a user using airflow CLI, the password gets logged in plain text in the Log table in Airflow Metadatase. The same happenes when creating a Connection with a password field.

CVE-2020-17511 Affected Apache airflow Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.10.13
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
apache-airflow
pypi/apache-airflow
PyPI
< 1.10.13
1.10.13

References

Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/airflow/commit/4e32546faf227a6497ce8b282fff7450cae6f665
NVD — CVE-2020-17511 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-17511
Apache airflow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/airflow
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-cvcq-gmc3-q6m8
Apache airflow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/apache-airflow/PYSEC-2020-262.yaml
lists.apache.org/thread.html/ree782a... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ree782a29d927b96bf0b39fb92e2f1f09ea3112a985f7a08ce93765ac%40%3Cusers.airflow.apache.org%3E

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-17511?
CVE-2020-17511 is a security vulnerability in Apache airflow involving Apache Airflow logs passwords in plaintext under CWE-312: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information.
Which Apache airflow versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.10.13 across affected packages: apache-airflow.
What version fixes CVE-2020-17511?
Upgrading to 1.10.13 (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 1.10.13. Upgrade your dependency to 1.10.13 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-17511?
CVE-2020-17511 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 2.8 (LOW) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-17511?
CVE-2020-17511 is classified under CWE-312: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information (The product stores sensitive information in cleartext within a resource that might be accessible to another control sphere.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2020-17511?
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-cvcq-gmc3-q6m8",
  "modified" : "2024-09-11T18:13:18Z",
  "published" : "2020-12-17T21:00:56Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-17511" ],
  "summary" : "Apache Airflow logs passwords in plaintext",
  "details" : "In Airflow versions prior to 1.10.13, when creating a user using airflow CLI, the password gets logged in plain text in the Log table in Airflow Metadatase. The same happenes when creating a Connection with a password field.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:A/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "apache-airflow"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.10.13"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-17511"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/airflow/commit/4e32546faf227a6497ce8b282fff7450cae6f665"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-cvcq-gmc3-q6m8"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/airflow"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/apache-airflow/PYSEC-2020-262.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ree782a29d927b96bf0b39fb92e2f1f09ea3112a985f7a08ce93765ac%40%3Cusers.airflow.apache.org%3E"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-312" ],
    "severity" : "LOW",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-12-17T20:15:10Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}