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TI-2026-36459 Aliases CVE-2026-49267GHSA-799x-qp47-8qwq

Apache Airflow: No certificate validation on SMTP STARTTLS connections

Priority LOW 26CWE-295Published · Updated

Key facts

Attack vector
Network
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
High
Impact type
Spoofing
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-295.

Summary

Apache Airflow's EmailOperator and the underlying `airflow.utils.email` helpers established SMTP STARTTLS connections without verifying the remote certificate when the deployment used `[email] smtp_starttls=True` without `[email] smtp_ssl`. An attacker positioned between the worker and the configured SMTP server (network MITM — typical hostile-network attack-surface for environments where the SMTP relay sits outside the worker's trust boundary) could present a self-signed certificate, have the worker complete the STARTTLS handshake silently, and capture the SMTP AUTH credentials and message contents the worker forwarded. This CVE covers the **core apache-airflow side** of the same root cause already covered for the SMTP provider by `CVE-2026-41016` (published 2026-04-27, covering `apache-airflow-providers-smtp`). Users who already applied the SMTP-provider fix from CVE-2026-41016 should additionally upgrade `apache-airflow` to 3.2.2 or later to cover the core-side path through `airflow.utils.email`. Affects deployments configured with `smtp_starttls=True` and `smtp_ssl=False` where the SMTP relay is reachable across a less-trusted network segment than the worker. Users are advised to upgrade to `apache-airflow` 3.2.2 or later.

Why it matters now

Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00185 8th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Fixed Apache Airflow (Apache Software Foundation): 3.0.0, 3.2.2apache-airflow (PyPI): 3.2.2

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

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed inStatusSource
ApacheApache Airflow2.0.0 to before 3.0.03.0.0Patch availableCNA
ApacheApache Airflow3.0.0 to before 3.2.23.2.2Patch availableCNA
—apache-airflow (PyPI)2.0.0 to before 3.2.23.2.2Patch availableGHSA-799x-qp47-8qwq
  • Apache Airflow VendorApache Affected 2.0.0 to before 3.0.0 Fixed in 3.0.0 Patch available CNA
  • 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 2.0.0 to before 3.2.2 Fixed in 3.2.2 Patch available GHSA-799x-qp47-8qwq

CPE configurations NVD · 1

CPEVersionsRoleVendor
cpe:2.3:a:apache:airflow:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*2.0.0 to before 3.2.2VulnerableApache
  • cpe:2.3:a:apache:airflow:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 2.0.0 to before 3.2.2 Vulnerable ·Apache

Remediation

  • Fix · CNA Apache Airflow (Apache Software Foundation) Fixed in 3.0.0
  • Fix · CNA Apache Airflow (Apache Software Foundation) Fixed in 3.2.2
  • Fix · GHSA-799x-qp47-8qwq 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
    Show all 17 records →
  • Release ·

    Apache Airflow 3.0.0

    9 records Highest priority Priority MEDIUM 1 MEDIUM, 8 LOW

    Other records, highest priority first

    • TI-2026-36484 Apache Airflow: JWT Token Exposure in KubernetesExecutor Command-Line ArgumentsPriority MEDIUM 41
    • TI-2026-33151 Apache Airflow: Arbitrary import in custom deadline-reference deserializationPriority LOW 39
    • TI-2026-29518 Apache Airflow: Arbitrary File Read via Log Symlink following in FileTaskHandlerPriority LOW 30
    Show all 9 records →

Timeline

  1. 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-49267
  2. 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-799x-qp47-8qwq
  3. 2026-11-03 Fix available: [email protected], [email protected] · CNA

References

Patch 1

Advisory 2

Other 1

  • 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
See all 157 →

Sources

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