Apache Airflow: Deserialization of Untrusted Data (CVE-2026-67260)
Published Last modified Sources: CVE.org, OSV, BSI
What is affected, what to do
Apache Airflow 3.3.0 moved human-in-the-loop tasks from the triggerer to a new `awaiting_input` task state swept by the scheduler. That sweep deserializes the task instance's `next_kwargs` without an allow-list, so a Dag author — who controls that value through the task execution API — can cause an arbitrary module import and object instantiation inside the scheduler process, or terminate the scheduler job.
Update Apache Airflow to version 3.3.1.
- Affected
- Apache Airflow
lt 3.3.0..3.3.1
- Apache Airflow
- Fixed in
- Apache Airflow
3.3.1
- Apache Airflow
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Metrics
7.3
Priority
XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.
Source: Vendor (CNA), CVSS v3
7.3
CVSS v3
Severity High on the scale from 0 to 10.
Source: CVE.org, OSV, BSI
0.8 %
EPSS score
Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 56.1
Show all metrics
- Severity
- High
Priority (0–325)
The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?
Read in glossary- 83.83 Methodology
Exploit maturity
An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.
Read in glossary- no public PoC known
XIEM Effective CVSS
XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.
Read in glossary- 7.3 Methodology
CVSS v3
CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.
Read in glossary- 7.3
EPSS score
The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.
Read in glossary- 0.8 %
- Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
EPSS percentile
The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.
Read in glossary- 56.1
- High — this CVE ranks above the median of all CVEs scored today (rank ≥ 36%).
KEV status
The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.
Read in glossary- —
- Published
- CISA assessment (SSVC)
- Exploitation: none known · automatable · Technical impact: partial
- Source: CISA Vulnrichment, as of 12 August 2026
CWE
CWE is a catalogue of typical weakness types in software and hardware — such as flawed input validation, unsafe memory handling or poor authentication. Where a CVE names a concrete vulnerability in a concrete product, a CWE describes the underlying class of defect.
Read in glossary- CWE-502
Detection rules
No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.
Classification under NIS2 and CRA
Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.
NIS2
NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.
Read in glossary- High technical severity: assess and remediate the vulnerability in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2 and document the decision.
CRA
The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.
Read in glossary- From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.
Read in glossary- Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.
Description
Apache Airflow 3.3.0 moved human-in-the-loop tasks from the triggerer to a new `awaiting_input` task state swept by the scheduler. That sweep deserializes the task instance's `next_kwargs` without an allow-list, so a Dag author — who controls that value through the task execution API — can cause an arbitrary module import and object instantiation inside the scheduler process, or terminate the scheduler job. No non-default configuration is required: the sweep runs unconditionally every 15 seconds, and the default `allowed_deserialization_classes` setting does not cover this code path. Versions before 3.3.0 are not affected, because human-in-the-loop tasks deferred onto the triggerer instead. This is a different code path from CVE-2026-58076, which covers the same unguarded exception-node deserialization reached elsewhere — deployments that applied that fix must upgrade for this issue as well. Users are advised to upgrade to apache-airflow 3.3.1 or later.
Source: NVD (NIST), OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities), cvelistv5, BSI CSAF, BSI WID Portal
Affected products
The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.
| Affected versions | Fixed in | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Apache Software Foundation | Apache Airflow |
|
|
| apache | airflow |
|
|
| Apache | Airflow |
|
|
| pypi | apache-airflow |
|
|
Vendors and products
Weakness classes (CWE)
CWE-502Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Base
The product deserializes untrusted data without sufficiently ensuring that the resulting data will be valid.
Entry at MITRE CWE-502
References & sources
- github.comapache/airflow/pull/70685Patch, Issue tracking, Patch
- CVE.org (MITRE)CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-58076related, Not applicable
- lists.apache.orgthread/vygr0fh82cjzjp5k4vtfmboxryvm3lynVendor advisory, Mailing list, Vendor advisory
- NVD (NIST)vuln/detail/CVE-2026-67260web
- github.comapache/airflow/commit/18b622920cf0f486155075125ecdcabc752b1ecaweb
- github.comapache/airflow/commit/a1ab0653121829675ad864080d2cd9d3d1688b01web
- github.comapache/airflowpackage
- github.comapache/airflow/releases/tag/3.3.1web
- github.compypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/apache-airflow/PYSEC-202…web
- GitHub Security Advisoriesadvisories/GHSA-q4c3-7575-55j2advisory
Changes to this CVE
Who changed this CVE and when: NVD (analysis, affected products, CVSS), the CVE publisher (CNA) and additional providers such as CISA (ADP).
Record modifiedApache
1 individual change: Affected versions (publisher)
Show the original change
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Affected versions (publisher) added —Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/67xxx/CVE-2026-67260.json">CVE-2026-67260</a>Source identifier: security@apache.org
Record modifiedApache
Show 10 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Affected versions (publisher) added —Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/67xxx/CVE-2026-67260.json">CVE-2026-67260</a>Reference added —https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/70685Reference added —https://lists.apache.org/thread/vygr0fh82cjzjp5k4vtfmboxryvm3lynReference added —https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-58076Reference removed https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/70685—Reference removed https://lists.apache.org/thread/vygr0fh82cjzjp5k4vtfmboxryvm3lyn—Reference removed https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-58076—Reference type removed https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/70685 Types: Issue Tracking, Patch—Reference type removed https://lists.apache.org/thread/vygr0fh82cjzjp5k4vtfmboxryvm3lyn Types: Mailing List, Vendor Advisory—Reference type removed https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-58076 Types: Not Applicable—Source identifier: security@apache.org
Initial analysis by NVDNVD
Newly listed as affected:- Apache Software Foundation Apache Airflow (3.3.0 – before 3.3.1)
Show 4 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Product configuration added —OR *cpe:2.3:a:apache:airflow:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 3.3.0 up to (excluding) 3.3.1Reference type added —Apache Software Foundation: https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/70685 Types: Issue Tracking, PatchReference type added —Apache Software Foundation: https://lists.apache.org/thread/vygr0fh82cjzjp5k4vtfmboxryvm3lyn Types: Mailing List, Vendor AdvisoryReference type added —Apache Software Foundation: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-58076 Types: Not ApplicableSource identifier: nvd@nist.gov
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<a href="https://intel.neosec.eu/en/cve/CVE-2026-67260"><img src="https://intel.neosec.eu/badge/cve/CVE-2026-67260.svg?lang=en" alt="CVE-2026-67260 – NEOSEC Intel" height="20"></a>