Apache Airflow: Arbitrary File Read via Log Symlink following in FileTaskHandler

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Summary

CVECVE-2026-40861
StatePUBLISHED
Assignerapache
Source PriorityCVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published2026-06-01 09:16:17 UTC
Updated2026-06-02 18:49:39 UTC
DescriptionA Dag author could either (a) create a symlink under their task's log directory pointing to an arbitrary file readable by the API server process (read-path attack — e.g. `/etc/passwd` or `airflow.cfg`) or (b) supply a `task_id` containing `..` sequences accepted by the Task SDK's `KEY_REGEX` (write-path attack), and in both cases the FileTaskHandler resolves the log path outside the configured `base_log_folder`, leaking or overwriting arbitrary files. Only affects deployments where the worker log folder is shared with the API server. Users are advised to upgrade to `apache-airflow` 3.2.2 or later. As a defense-in-depth mitigation, deploy the worker and API server with separate log volumes so that worker-controlled paths cannot reach the API server's filesystem.

Risk And Classification

Primary CVSS: v3.1 6.5 MEDIUM from ADP

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

EPSS: 0.000920000 probability, percentile 0.258250000 (date 2026-06-04)

Problem Types: CWE-59 | CWE-59 CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')

VersionSourceTypeScoreSeverityVector
3.1ADPDECLARED6.5MEDIUMCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
3.1134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0Secondary6.5MEDIUMCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

CVSS v3.1 Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

NVD Known Affected Configurations (CPE 2.3)

TypeVendorProductVersionUpdateEditionLanguage
Application Apache Airflow All All All All

Vendor Declared Affected Products

SourceVendorProductVersionPlatforms
CNA Apache Software Foundation Apache Airflow affected 3.2.2 semver Not specified

References

ReferenceSourceLinkTags
www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/31/1 af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 www.openwall.com Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
github.com/apache/airflow/pull/65325 [email protected] github.com Issue Tracking, Patch
lists.apache.org/thread/823334db2559xjlwt59gpzjz47thnscl [email protected] lists.apache.org Mailing List, Vendor Advisory
CVE Program record CVE.ORG www.cve.org canonical
NVD vulnerability detail NVD nvd.nist.gov canonical, analysis

Vendor Comments And Credit

Discovery Credit

CNA: Silas Boch (en)

CNA: Lakshmikanthan K (letchupkt) (en)

CNA: Jarek Potiuk (en)

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