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Apache Airflow: Unguarded import_string() of airflow_exc_ser / base_exc_ser exception nodes in BaseSerialization.deserialize enables DAG-author RCE on Scheduler / API Server

Type: advisorySource: OSVRisk context updated1 source record

Apache Airflow's serialization layer reconstructed exception nodes by calling `import_string()` on a class name taken from the serialized blob and instantiating it with arguments from the same blob, with no restriction on what could be imported. An operator's `executor_config` reaches that branch, so a Dag author could place a value there that causes an arbitrary callable to be imported and invoked -- for example `subprocess.check_output`, or `builtins.eval` on the `builtins`-prefixed variant. The code runs in the **Scheduler**, which reconstructs serialized Dags in its normal loop with no request involved, and in the **API server**, on any authenticated read of the Dag such as `GET /api/v2/dags/{dag_id}/details`. Both are components the Airflow security model states must never execute Dag-author code, and both hold the metadata database credentials and the JWT signing secret. No non-default configuration is required. This is a **different sink from CVE-2026-33264**, which covered only the trigger branch of the same deserializer: deployments that upgraded in response to that advisory are still affected through the exception branch and must upgrade again. Users are advised to upgrade to apache-airflow 3.3.1 or later, which restricts the imported class to a subclass of `BaseException`.

Announced Source revision 2
Original source ↗
CVE context updated. The publisher announcement is unchanged.

BIT-airflow-2026-58076

Primary source · Revision 2

Imported from structured advisory data. Source references identify upstream records or fields; verify affected versions and your deployed configuration.

Security context

Source reference: osv:BIT-airflow-2026-58076

airflow

Source reference: /affected/0/package/name

Affected versions
Not stated in this record
Fixed versions
3.3.1

Source reference: /affected/0/ranges

Prerequisites
Not stated in this record

Structured affected-version data

Original package identities and version rules from this source.

[
  {
    "ranges": [
      {
        "type": "SEMVER",
        "events": [
          {
            "introduced": "3.3.0"
          },
          {
            "fixed": "3.3.1"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "package": {
      "name": "airflow",
      "purl": "pkg:bitnami/airflow",
      "ecosystem": "Bitnami"
    },
    "severity": [
      {
        "type": "CVSS_V3",
        "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
      }
    ],
    "database_specific": {
      "source": "https://github.com/bitnami/vulndb/tree/main/data/airflow/BIT-airflow-2026-58076.json"
    }
  }
]
Related CVEs
CVE-2026-58076

Source reference: /aliases

Publisher severity

high

Source reference: /database_specific/severity

Linked CVE context

These ratings describe the referenced vulnerabilities and products. They are not a severity rating for every application using this dependency.

Event
#72781 · Revision 2
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Publisher date
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