CVE-2020-11983: Apache airflow Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-q4p3-qw5c-mhpc
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CVSS 5.4
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-11983 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.4) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Apache airflow libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves multiple stored xss in rbac admin screens in apache airflow. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.10.11.

CVE-2020-11983 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-11983
GHSA Identifier GHSA-q4p3-qw5c-mhpc
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.4
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Apache airflow
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.4

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:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2020-11983

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: 1.10.11 
pip install apache-airflow>=1.10.11
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-2020-11983, 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 1.10.11), 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-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. 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. It was discovered that many of the admin management screens in the new/RBAC UI handled escaping incorrectly, allowing authenticated users with appropriate permissions to create stored XSS attacks.

CVE-2020-11983 Affected Apache airflow Versions

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

References

NVD — CVE-2020-11983 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-11983
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-q4p3-qw5c-mhpc
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-2020-17.yaml
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r7255cf... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r7255cf0be3566f23a768e2a04b40fb09e52fcd1872695428ba9afe91%40%3Cusers.airflow.apache.org%3E

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-11983?
CVE-2020-11983 is a security vulnerability in Apache airflow involving Multiple stored XSS in RBAC Admin screens in Apache Airflow under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Apache airflow versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.10.11 across affected packages: apache-airflow.
What version fixes CVE-2020-11983?
Upgrading to 1.10.11 (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 1.10.11. Upgrade your dependency to 1.10.11 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-11983?
CVE-2020-11983 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-11983?
CVE-2020-11983 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2020-11983?
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-q4p3-qw5c-mhpc",
  "modified" : "2024-09-11T19:55:58Z",
  "published" : "2020-07-27T16:57:25Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-11983" ],
  "summary" : "Multiple stored XSS in RBAC Admin screens in Apache Airflow",
  "details" : "An issue was found in Apache Airflow versions 1.10.10 and below. It was discovered that many of the admin management screens in the new/RBAC UI handled escaping incorrectly, allowing authenticated users with appropriate permissions to create stored XSS attacks.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "apache-airflow"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.10.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-11983"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-q4p3-qw5c-mhpc"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/airflow"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/apache-airflow/PYSEC-2020-17.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r7255cf0be3566f23a768e2a04b40fb09e52fcd1872695428ba9afe91%40%3Cusers.airflow.apache.org%3E"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-07-27T16:55:16Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}