Deserialization in Apache Airflow
CVE-2026-33264
A bug in `BaseSerialization.deserialize()` allowed unrestricted `import_string()` of attacker-controlled class paths when the Scheduler / API Server loaded a serialized DAG: a DAG author could embed a malicious trigger into a DAG to gain remote code execution on the API Server / Scheduler process, crossing the Airflow security boundary that DAG-author code must never execute in those processes. Users are advised to upgrade to `apache-airflow` 3.3.0 or later. As a defense-in-depth mitigation, deployments where DAG-author trust is limited can restrict the `[core] allowed_deserialization_classes` config to a narrow allowlist.
Vulnerability class: Insecure Deserialization
EPSS: 0.010 (59.9th 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
- Apache Airflow
- Apache Software Foundation Airflow — versions 0
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- security@apache.org (Patch, patch, Issue Tracking)
- security@apache.org (Patch, patch, Issue Tracking)
- security@apache.org (vendor-advisory, Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 (Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-33264?
- CVE-2026-33264 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Apache Airflow, classified under Deserialization of Untrusted Data. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2026-07-07.
- How severe is CVE-2026-33264?
- Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.