CVE-2026-111421: Apache Airflow: Execution API: set_xcom skips the reserved-key check, so task-written XComs instantiate airflow.* classes on the API server
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 35/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.60% (FIRST EPSS).
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- Fixed version: Apache Software Foundation Apache Airflow 3.4.0.
- Mentioned 1 time in Turkish national cyber security advisories (siberguvenlik.gov.tr).
Low priority for now. Upgrade to Apache Software Foundation Apache Airflow 3.4.0 or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
Apache Airflow's Task Execution API stored XCom values written by a task without the reserved-key check applied elsewhere, so a Dag author's task could write an XCom that, when a user later viewed it through the API with deserialization enabled, made the API server instantiate classes from the `airflow.*` namespace with arguments the Dag author chose. This is an incomplete fix for CVE-2026-59242: users who applied that fix in apache-airflow 3.3.1 remain affected through this route and should upgrade to apache-airflow 3.4.0 or later.
- Published
- Nov 9, 2026
- Updated
- Nov 10, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.6% · 49th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-502
Report tools
Action score
35
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 35 / 40 · 8.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.6%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
Is your version affected? Check itNoroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
—
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (apache). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
Apache Software Foundation Apache Airflow
- 3.0.0 and later · before 3.4.0affected · semver
Same product
apache software foundation: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2026-101031Apache Airflow: Shell command injection in the example_dag_decorator example Dag via an IPv6 zone identifier36Monitor
- CVE-2026-96285Apache Airflow: Scheduler: next_kwargs deserialized before the dict check, so resume data still invokes constructors35Monitor
- CVE-2026-86829Apache Airflow: Deserialization of task-controlled XCom values in the Scheduler during dependency evaluation35Monitor
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2026-107474Nov 9, 2026 · Apache Airflow: Connections API: apprise connection "config" extra returned in cleartext26Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2026-111395Nov 9, 2026 · Apache Airflow: Reserved serialization keys in Dag run conf crash the scheduler or are rebuilt as objects in the Triggerer via deadline callbacks32Monitor
- Later →CVE-2026-111452Nov 9, 2026 · Apache Airflow: Secrets masker: camelCase key names (privateKey, connectionString, webhookUrl) not matched against the sensitive-field list26Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Apache Software Foundation Apache Airflow | 3.4.0 | Vendor (CNA) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
- Published
- Fix recordedsame day
- TodayNov 13, 2026+4 d
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
- Qi Qindepthfirstfinder
- Hama1ccofinder
- Zhixi "Jace" Sun, independent security researcherfinder
- Michael Lip (theluckystrike)finder
- Jarek Potiukremediation developer
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
- CVE-2026-868290 days apartApache Airflow: Deserialization of task-controlled XCom values in the Scheduler during dependency evaluation35Monitor
- CVE-2026-962850 days apartApache Airflow: Scheduler: next_kwargs deserialized before the dict check, so resume data still invokes constructors35Monitor
- CVE-2026-1113950 days apartApache Airflow: Reserved serialization keys in Dag run conf crash the scheduler or are rebuilt as objects in the Triggerer via deadline callbacks32Monitor
- CVE-2026-823370 days apartApache Airflow: DeadlineAlert fields bypass plugin-registration gate for scheduler-side deserialization29Monitor
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
- CVE-2026-689820 days apartApache Airflow: CeleryExecutor: forged callback workloads run on Celery workers without workload-token validation29Monitor
National notice (Türkiye Cybersecurity Directorate / USOM)
Official security notices citing this record; remediation advice is on the agency's page.
- TR-26-1491 · Nov 10, 2026(Apache Çoklu Proje Güvnelik Zafiyeti)
Not on record for this CVE: public bounty program.
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-502 · Deserialization of Untrusted DataCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-secondary
Root cause
Data received over the network is deserialized into the language’s native object format without verifying its source. Code paths inside the object can be triggered during deserialization.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-502 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
payload = sock.recv(65536)
job = pickle.loads(payload)Fixed
payload = sock.recv(65536)
if not hmac.compare_digest(sign(payload), header_sig):
raise PermissionError("invalid signature")
job = JobSchema.validate(json.loads(payload))Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
ATT&CK techniques
—
Change log
- SSVC exploitation— → none
- CVSS— → 8.8
- Severity— → high
- Exploit maturity— → none
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Show all references (3 more)Show less
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.