Cleartext storage of sensitive information in Apache Airflow CNCF Kubernetes provider
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Information disclosure
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · None · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA and GitHub. Impact type from CWE-312.
Summary
Since version 5.2.0, when using deferrable mode with the path of a Kubernetes configuration file for authentication, the Airflow worker serializes this configuration file as a dictionary and sends it to the triggerer by storing it in metadata without any encryption. Additionally, if used with an Airflow version between 2.3.0 and 2.6.0, the configuration dictionary will be logged as plain text in the triggerer service without masking. This allows anyone with access to the metadata or triggerer log to obtain the configuration file and use it to access the Kubernetes cluster. This behavior was changed in version 7.0.0, which stopped serializing the file contents and started providing the file path instead to read the contents into the trigger. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 7.0.0, which fixes this issue.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apache | Apache Airflow CNCF Kubernetes provider | 5.2.0 to before 7.0.0 | 7.0.0 | Patch available | CNA |
| Apache | Apache Airflow | 2.3.0 to before 2.6.1 | 2.6.1 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | apache-airflow (PyPI) | 2.3.0 to before 2.6.1 | 2.6.1 | Patch available | GHSA-mg2x-mggj-6955 |
| — | apache-airflow-providers-cncf-kubernetes (PyPI) | 5.2.0 to before 7.0.0 | 7.0.0 | Patch available | GHSA-mg2x-mggj-6955 |
- Apache Airflow CNCF Kubernetes provider VendorApache Affected 5.2.0 to before 7.0.0 Fixed in 7.0.0 Patch available CNA
- Apache Airflow VendorApache Affected 2.3.0 to before 2.6.1 Fixed in 2.6.1 Patch available CNA
- apache-airflow (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.3.0 to before 2.6.1 Fixed in 2.6.1 Patch available GHSA-mg2x-mggj-6955
- apache-airflow-providers-cncf-kubernetes (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 5.2.0 to before 7.0.0 Fixed in 7.0.0 Patch available GHSA-mg2x-mggj-6955
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Apache Airflow CNCF Kubernetes provider (Apache Software Foundation) Fixed in 7.0.0
- Fix · CNA Apache Airflow (Apache Software Foundation) Fixed in 2.6.1
- Fix · GHSA-mg2x-mggj-6955 apache-airflow (PyPI) Fixed in 2.6.1 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-mg2x-mggj-6955 apache-airflow-providers-cncf-kubernetes (PyPI) Fixed in 7.0.0 Advisory →
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2023-51702
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-mg2x-mggj-6955
References
Patch 3
Advisory 3
More Apache Airflow vulnerabilities
- TI-2020-10905 Missing authentication in Apache Airflow KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2020-09638 OS command injection in Apache Airflow KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-19017 Apache Airflow <2.4.0 has an RCE in a bash example CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2021-16140 Apache Airflow: Variable Import endpoint missed authentication check CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2022-08169 Apache Airflow: RCE in example DAGs CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2024-26776 Apache Airflow: DAG Author Code Execution possibility in airflow-scheduler CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
Sources
- CVE-2023-51702 · CVE Program
- CVE-2023-51702 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-mg2x-mggj-6955 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences