Apache Airflow Vulnerable to Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Apache Airflow's scheduler-side deadline-reference decoder (SerializedCustomReference.deserialize_reference) imported and dispatched arbitrary class paths drawn from DAG-author-controlled serialized state without an allowlist or plugin-registry gate. A DAG author whose code reaches the scheduler — the default on single-host deployments where the DAG bundle is importable from the scheduler process — could embed a custom DeadlineReference whose serialized form named an attacker-controlled module path, causing the scheduler to import_string(...) and instantiate that class with a live SQLAlchemy session attached. Affects deployments where DAG-author code is less trusted than the scheduler process. Users are advised to upgrade to apache-airflow 3.2.2 or later.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python (PyPI) | apache-airflow | >= 3.2.0, < 3.2.2 | 3.2.2 |
References
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/31/12
- https://lists.apache.org/thread/q227dghjwgfz8xsxrf2pwpz4wk43zm83
- https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/66737
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-2r5m-76wx-56gx
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-45360
- https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/61461
- https://github.com/apache/airflow
- https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/apache-airflow/PYSEC-2026-186.yaml
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-502- Platform
- Python (PyPI)
- Package
apache-airflow- Disclosed
- 01.06.2026
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 15:17
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2026-186 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-2r5m-76wx-56gx - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: apache-airflow
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Python (PyPI)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 158
- First → latest
- 08.2018 09.2026
- Without a fix
- 4
- Exploited in attacks
- 2
Severity breakdown
- Critical 16
- High 49
- Medium 86
- Low 7
Disclosures per year
- 2018: 1
- 2019: 8
- 2020: 12
- 2021: 5
- 2022: 16
- 2023: 31
- 2024: 18
- 2025: 6
- 2026: 61
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