CVE-2023-39508: Apache Airflow: Airflow "Run task" feature allows execution with unnecessary priviledges

Severity: high (CVSS 8.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 2.6% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2023-08-05 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-200

Description

Execution with Unnecessary Privileges, : Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor vulnerability in Apache Software Foundation Apache Airflow.The "Run Task" feature enables authenticated user to bypass some of the restrictions put in place. It allows to execute code in the webserver context as well as allows to bypas limitation of access the user has to certain DAGs. The "Run Task" feature is considered dangerous and it has been removed entirely in Airflow 2.6.0 This issue affects Apache Airflow: before 2.6.0.

Affected products

Apache Airflow: before 2.6.0 — fixed in 2.6.0

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Apache Airflow 2.6.0. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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