CVE-2026-45426: Apache airflow Apache Airflow Has An Incorrect Vulnerability

LOW
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-x5wm-j6wh-2834
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CVSS 3.1
CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-45426 is a LOW (CVSS 3.1) apache airflow has an incorrect vulnerability (CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization) affecting Apache airflow libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves apache airflow has an incorrect authorization issue. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.2.2.

CVE-2026-45426 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-45426
GHSA Identifier GHSA-x5wm-j6wh-2834
Severity LOW
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 3.1
CWE Classification CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization
Affected Product Apache airflow
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 3.1

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
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-2026-45426

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: 3.2.2 
pip install apache-airflow>=3.2.2
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-2026-45426, 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 3.2.2), 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-863: Incorrect Authorization, where the product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check. 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

Exploitation requires the attacker to already be an authenticated Airflow worker holding a valid Log-server JWT issued for at least one Dag. Apache Airflow's Log server authorized JWT tokens against Dag IDs by applying Python's `str.lstrip()` to the requested path segment when verifying the JWT's `sub` claim. `str.lstrip()` strips any of a *set* of characters from the left (not a prefix), so a JWT issued for a Dag named e.g. `dag_a` would authorize log access to any other Dag whose name began with any subset of the characters `{d, a, g, _}` (e.g. `dag_attacker`, `aaaa_target`, `_dag_secret`). Such an authenticated worker could enumerate and read worker logs of other Dags whose names happened to share that character-class prefix, leaking task output and error traces beyond the documented per-Dag isolation boundary. Affects deployments relying on per-Dag log-access scoping (multi-team, shared-executor, shared-worker topologies). Users are advised to upgrade to `apache-airflow` 3.2.2 or later.

CVE-2026-45426 Affected Apache airflow Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.2.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
apache-airflow
pypi/apache-airflow
PyPI
≥ 3.0.0
< 3.2.2
3.2.2

References

NVD — CVE-2026-45426 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-45426
Apache airflow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/66749
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-2026-174.yaml
lists.apache.org/thread/hz1q7vg65vq2... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread/hz1q7vg65vq2h4fobv5ww8tp257fbqj9
Apache airflow Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/31/13

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-45426?
CVE-2026-45426 is a security vulnerability in Apache airflow involving Apache Airflow has an Incorrect Authorization issue under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization.
Which Apache airflow versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.2.2 across affected packages: apache-airflow.
What version fixes CVE-2026-45426?
Upgrading to 3.2.2 (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 3.2.2. Upgrade your dependency to 3.2.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-45426?
CVE-2026-45426 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 3.1 (LOW) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-45426?
CVE-2026-45426 is classified under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization (The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2026-45426?
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-x5wm-j6wh-2834",
  "modified" : "2026-07-09T21:00:25Z",
  "published" : "2026-06-01T09:31:14Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-45426" ],
  "summary" : "Apache Airflow has an Incorrect Authorization issue",
  "details" : "Exploitation requires the attacker to already be an authenticated Airflow worker holding a valid Log-server JWT issued for at least one Dag. Apache Airflow's Log server authorized JWT tokens against Dag IDs by applying Python's `str.lstrip()` to the requested path segment when verifying the JWT's `sub` claim. `str.lstrip()` strips any of a *set* of characters from the left (not a prefix), so a JWT issued for a Dag named e.g. `dag_a` would authorize log access to any other Dag whose name began with any subset of the characters `{d, a, g, _}` (e.g. `dag_attacker`, `aaaa_target`, `_dag_secret`). Such an authenticated worker could enumerate and read worker logs of other Dags whose names happened to share that character-class prefix, leaking task output and error traces beyond the documented per-Dag isolation boundary. Affects deployments relying on per-Dag log-access scoping (multi-team, shared-executor, shared-worker topologies). Users are advised to upgrade to `apache-airflow` 3.2.2 or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "apache-airflow"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.2.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-45426"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/66749"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/airflow"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/apache-airflow/PYSEC-2026-174.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread/hz1q7vg65vq2h4fobv5ww8tp257fbqj9"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/31/13"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "LOW",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-07-09T21:00:25Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-06-01T09:16:19Z"
  }
}