CVE-2020-11978: Apache airflow Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-rvmq-4x66-q7j3
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-78 CWE-77
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-11978 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')) affecting Apache airflow libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves remote code execution (rce) in apache airflow. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.10.11rc1.

CVE-2020-11978 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-11978
GHSA Identifier GHSA-rvmq-4x66-q7j3
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Affected Product Apache airflow
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

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:H/I:H/A:H/E:H).

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 High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2020-11978

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: 1.10.11rc1 
pip install apache-airflow>=1.10.11rc1
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-2020-11978, 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 1.10.11rc1), 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-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an os command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended os command when it is sent to a downstream component. 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

An issue was found in Apache Airflow versions 1.10.10 and below. A remote code/command injection vulnerability was discovered in one of the example DAGs shipped with Airflow which would allow any authenticated user to run arbitrary commands as the user running airflow worker/scheduler (depending on the executor in use). If you already have examples disabled by setting `load_examples=False` in the config then you are not vulnerable.

CVE-2020-11978 Affected Apache airflow Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.10.11rc1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
apache-airflow
pypi/apache-airflow
PyPI
< 1.10.11rc1
1.10.11rc1

References

NVD — CVE-2020-11978 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-11978
Apache airflow Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/9143
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/airflow/commit/2fa51576e1283f5732e38fada686fd248d9c3a1e
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/airflow/commit/4d8599e8b0520ff4226fbad72f724afae50fdd08
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-2020-14.yaml
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r7255cf... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r7255cf0be3566f23a768e2a04b40fb09e52fcd1872695428ba9afe91%40%3Cusers.airflow.apache.org%3E
www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vul... WEB
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-11978
Apache airflow Security Information SECURITY
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162908/Apache-Airflow-1.10.10-Remote-Code-Execution.html
Apache airflow Security Information SECURITY
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174764/Apache-Airflow-1.10.10-Remote-Code-Execution.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-11978?
CVE-2020-11978 is a security vulnerability in Apache airflow involving Remote code execution (RCE) in Apache Airflow under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection').
Which Apache airflow versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.10.11rc1 across affected packages: apache-airflow.
What version fixes CVE-2020-11978?
Upgrading to 1.10.11rc1 (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 1.10.11rc1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.10.11rc1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-11978?
CVE-2020-11978 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-11978?
CVE-2020-11978 is classified under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2020-11978?
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-rvmq-4x66-q7j3",
  "modified" : "2025-10-22T17:54:44Z",
  "published" : "2020-07-27T16:57:33Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-11978" ],
  "summary" : "Remote code execution (RCE) in Apache Airflow",
  "details" : "An issue was found in Apache Airflow versions 1.10.10 and below. A remote code/command injection vulnerability was discovered in one of the example DAGs shipped with Airflow which would allow any authenticated user to run arbitrary commands as the user running airflow worker/scheduler (depending on the executor in use). If you already have examples disabled by setting `load_examples=False` in the config then you are not vulnerable.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:A"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "apache-airflow"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.10.11rc1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-11978"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/9143"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/airflow/commit/2fa51576e1283f5732e38fada686fd248d9c3a1e"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/airflow/commit/4d8599e8b0520ff4226fbad72f724afae50fdd08"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/airflow"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/apache-airflow/PYSEC-2020-14.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r7255cf0be3566f23a768e2a04b40fb09e52fcd1872695428ba9afe91%40%3Cusers.airflow.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-11978"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162908/Apache-Airflow-1.10.10-Remote-Code-Execution.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174764/Apache-Airflow-1.10.10-Remote-Code-Execution.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-77", "CWE-78" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-07-27T16:54:51Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-07-17T00:15:00Z"
  }
}