Apache Airflow: JWT cookie missing Secure flag in JWTRefreshMiddleware behind HTTPS-terminating proxy
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · None · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA and GitHub.
Summary
Apache Airflow's `JWTRefreshMiddleware` set the JWT auth cookie without the `Secure` flag, so deployments running the Airflow API server behind an HTTPS-terminating reverse proxy (e.g. nginx / Envoy / a managed load balancer that terminates TLS and forwards plaintext to the API server, the default cloud-native topology) would have the user's session JWT replayed over any cleartext HTTP request to the same host. A network-positioned attacker (Wi-Fi MITM, hostile LAN, captive-portal proxy) could induce a logged-in user's browser to issue an HTTP request to the deployment's hostname and capture the JWT cookie out of that request, then replay it against the authenticated API. Affects deployments where the Airflow API server is reached through a TLS-terminating proxy and the cookie's secure-by-default protection is load-bearing for session integrity. Users are advised to upgrade to `apache-airflow` 3.2.2 or later.
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 | 3.0.0 to before 3.2.2 | 3.2.2 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | apache-airflow (PyPI) | 3.0.0 to before 3.2.2 | 3.2.2 | Patch available | GHSA-95v7-h9j5-gvjr |
- Apache Airflow VendorApache Affected 3.0.0 to before 3.2.2 Fixed in 3.2.2 Patch available CNA
- apache-airflow (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 3.0.0 to before 3.2.2 Fixed in 3.2.2 Patch available GHSA-95v7-h9j5-gvjr
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Apache Airflow (Apache Software Foundation) Fixed in 3.2.2
- Fix · GHSA-95v7-h9j5-gvjr apache-airflow (PyPI) Fixed in 3.2.2 Advisory →
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Release ·
Apache Airflow 3.2.2
17 records Highest priority Priority MEDIUM 3 MEDIUM, 14 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2026-30568 Apache Airflow: BashOperator Jinja2 injection via dag_run.conf — low-privilege user patternPriority MEDIUM 47
- TI-2026-36484 Apache Airflow: JWT Token Exposure in KubernetesExecutor Command-Line ArgumentsPriority MEDIUM 41
- TI-2026-30661 Apache Airflow: Authenticated RCE via XCom PATCH endpoint — XComUpdateBody missing FORBIDDEN_XCOM_KEYS validatorPriority MEDIUM 41
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-41017
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-95v7-h9j5-gvjr
- 2026-11-03 Fix available: [email protected] · CNA
References
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-2026-41017 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-41017 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-95v7-h9j5-gvjr · 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