CVE-2026-54183: Apache airflow Apache Airflow Variables UI Fails Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-g4qj-5vxv-wggf
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CVSS 4.3
CWE-200
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-54183 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.3) apache airflow variables ui fails vulnerability (CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) affecting Apache airflow libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves apache airflow variables ui fails to mask sensitive values in deeply nested iterables. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.3.1.

CVE-2026-54183 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-54183
GHSA Identifier GHSA-g4qj-5vxv-wggf
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.3
CWE Classification CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
Affected Product Apache airflow
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.3

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-54183

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: 3.3.1 
pip install apache-airflow>=3.3.1
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-2026-54183, 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 3.3.1), 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-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor, where the product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information. 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's secrets masker hides values stored under sensitive key names when they are displayed in the UI. The masker's recursion-depth limit did not descend into values nested inside a list, tuple, or set beyond that limit, so an Airflow Variable holding such a deeply-nested value was shown unmasked in the Variables UI. The exposure is limited to the UI: any authenticated user who can see the Variable in the UI can already read its full value through the Variables REST API, so this does not disclose data the user could not otherwise obtain — the masking is a shoulder-surfing defense for the UI, not an access-control boundary. This is an incomplete-fix follow-up to CVE-2026-42358, whose fix made only the dictionary walk unbounded; lists, tuples, and sets beyond the depth limit remained unmasked in the UI. Deployments that applied the CVE-2026-42358 fix should also upgrade to address this residual case. Upgrade to apache-airflow 3.3.1 or later.

CVE-2026-54183 Affected Apache airflow Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.3.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
apache-airflow
pypi/apache-airflow
PyPI
< 3.3.1
3.3.1

References

NVD — CVE-2026-54183 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-54183
Apache airflow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/68422
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/airflow/commit/76961a04633f8e5b72e0042b797266ba650fc47c
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/airflow/commit/fe09e1a9671cf901785c0d779e942b671a56f422
Apache airflow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/airflow
Apache airflow Release RELEASE
https://github.com/apache/airflow/releases/tag/3.3.1
Apache airflow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/apache-airflow/PYSEC-2026-3705.yaml
lists.apache.org/thread/z5mrdq6c60f2... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread/z5mrdq6c60f2wyx4cc64cj8nv0dxd9lo
CVE Official Record — CVE-2026-54183 CVE
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-42358

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-54183?
CVE-2026-54183 is a security vulnerability in Apache airflow involving Apache Airflow Variables UI fails to mask sensitive values in deeply nested iterables under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor.
Which Apache airflow versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.3.1 across affected packages: apache-airflow.
What version fixes CVE-2026-54183?
Upgrading to 3.3.1 (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 3.3.1. Upgrade your dependency to 3.3.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-54183?
CVE-2026-54183 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-54183?
CVE-2026-54183 is classified under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor (The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2026-54183?
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-g4qj-5vxv-wggf",
  "modified" : "2026-10-02T23:13:28Z",
  "published" : "2026-08-12T18:31:18Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-54183" ],
  "summary" : "Apache Airflow Variables UI fails to mask sensitive values in deeply nested iterables",
  "details" : "Apache Airflow's secrets masker hides values stored under sensitive key names when they are displayed in the UI. The masker's recursion-depth limit did not descend into values nested inside a list, tuple, or set beyond that limit, so an Airflow Variable holding such a deeply-nested value was shown unmasked in the Variables UI. The exposure is limited to the UI: any authenticated user who can see the Variable in the UI can already read its full value through the Variables REST API, so this does not disclose data the user could not otherwise obtain — the masking is a shoulder-surfing defense for the UI, not an access-control boundary.\n\nThis is an incomplete-fix follow-up to CVE-2026-42358, whose fix made only the dictionary walk unbounded; lists, tuples, and sets beyond the depth limit remained unmasked in the UI. Deployments that applied the CVE-2026-42358 fix should also upgrade to address this residual case. Upgrade to apache-airflow 3.3.1 or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "apache-airflow"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.3.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-54183"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/68422"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/airflow/commit/76961a04633f8e5b72e0042b797266ba650fc47c"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/airflow/commit/fe09e1a9671cf901785c0d779e942b671a56f422"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/airflow"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/airflow/releases/tag/3.3.1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/apache-airflow/PYSEC-2026-3705.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread/z5mrdq6c60f2wyx4cc64cj8nv0dxd9lo"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-42358"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-10-02T23:13:28Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-08-12T16:17:04Z"
  }
}