Auth bypass in Apache Airflow

CVE-2021-38540

The variable import endpoint was not protected by authentication in Airflow >=2.0.0, <2.1.3. This allowed unauthenticated users to hit that endpoint to add/modify Airflow variables used in DAGs, potentially resulting in a denial of service…

Vulnerability class: Privilege Escalation

EPSS: 0.809 (99.6th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 9.8 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-38540?
CVE-2021-38540 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Apache Airflow, classified under Improper Privilege Management. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2021-09-09.
How severe is CVE-2021-38540?
Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.
Is CVE-2021-38540 known to be exploited?
10 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.