CVE-2026-50203: Apache Airflow SFTP provider Path Traversal Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-qf38-jq28-3ccq
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CVSS 9.1
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-50203 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Apache Airflow SFTP provider libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves path traversal in sftphook.retrieve_directory. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 5.8.1.

CVE-2026-50203 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-50203
GHSA Identifier GHSA-qf38-jq28-3ccq
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Apache Airflow SFTP provider
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.1

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-50203

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Apache Airflow SFTP provider 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-providers-sftp fixed: 5.8.1 
pip install apache-airflow-providers-sftp>=5.8.1
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-providers-sftp

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2026-50203, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show apache-airflow-providers-sftp

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Apache Airflow SFTP provider in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 5.8.1), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show apache-airflow-providers-sftp command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In Apache Airflow SFTP provider, 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

A path traversal in the SFTP provider (`SFTPHook.retrieve_directory` / `SFTPOperator(operation=get)`) let a malicious or compromised remote SFTP server write files outside the configured local destination directory via crafted directory-entry names. No Airflow account is required — the attack surface is any deployment downloading directories from an untrusted SFTP server. Upgrade `apache-airflow-providers-sftp` to 5.8.1 or later.

CVE-2026-50203 Affected Apache Airflow SFTP provider Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
5.8.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
apache-airflow-providers-sftp
pypi/apache-airflow-providers-sftp
PyPI
< 5.8.1
5.8.1

References

NVD — CVE-2026-50203 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-50203
Apache Airflow SFTP provider Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/67985
Apache Airflow SFTP provider Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/airflow
Apache Airflow SFTP provider Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/apache-airflow-providers-sftp/PYSEC-2026-218.yaml
lists.apache.org/thread/7f4b284oh44c... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread/7f4b284oh44c1n95oq8mh1qc7y1lr9dx
Apache Airflow SFTP provider Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/06/16/3

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-50203?
CVE-2026-50203 is a security vulnerability in Apache Airflow SFTP provider involving Path traversal in SFTPHook.retrieve_directory under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Apache Airflow SFTP provider versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 5.8.1 across affected packages: apache-airflow-providers-sftp.
What version fixes CVE-2026-50203?
Upgrading to 5.8.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is apache-airflow-providers-sftp affected?
Yes, apache-airflow-providers-sftp is affected in releases prior to 5.8.1. Upgrade your dependency to 5.8.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-50203?
CVE-2026-50203 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-50203?
CVE-2026-50203 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2026-50203?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show apache-airflow-providers-sftp'. 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-qf38-jq28-3ccq",
  "modified" : "2026-07-09T21:07:41Z",
  "published" : "2026-06-17T18:35:51Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-50203" ],
  "summary" : "Apache Airflow SFTP provider: Path traversal in SFTPHook.retrieve_directory",
  "details" : "A path traversal in the SFTP provider (`SFTPHook.retrieve_directory` / `SFTPOperator(operation=get)`) let a malicious or compromised remote SFTP server write files outside the configured local destination directory via crafted directory-entry names. No Airflow account is required — the attack surface is any deployment downloading directories from an untrusted SFTP server. Upgrade `apache-airflow-providers-sftp` to 5.8.1 or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "apache-airflow-providers-sftp"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.8.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-50203"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/67985"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/airflow"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/apache-airflow-providers-sftp/PYSEC-2026-218.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread/7f4b284oh44c1n95oq8mh1qc7y1lr9dx"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/06/16/3"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-06-18T14:35:04Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-06-17T13:20:47Z"
  }
}