Apache Airflow exception-node deserialization permits arbitrary callable execution

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

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

EPSS

• CVE-2026-58076: 0.48% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 41.76 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Apache Airflow's serialization layer reconstructed exception nodes by calling importstring() on a class name taken from the serialized blob and instantiating it with arguments from the same blob, with no restriction on what could be imported. An operator's executorconfig reaches that branch, so a Dag author could place a value there that causes an arbitrary callable to be imported and invoked -- for example subprocess.checkoutput, or builtins.eval on the builtins-prefixed variant. The code runs in the Scheduler, which reconstructs serialized Dags in its normal loop with no request involved, and in the API server, on any authenticated read of the Dag such as GET /api/v2/dags/{dagid}/details. Both are components the Airflow security model states must never execute Dag-author code, and both hold the metadata database credentials and the JWT signing secret. No non-default configuration is required. This is a different sink from CVE-2026-33264, which covered only the trigger branch of the…

Published by the source

12 Aug 2026, 18:31 UTC

Last modified by the source

2 Oct 2026, 23:12 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 13:54 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-8prw-8m6x-8w6f

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-58076

Advisory: Apache Airflow exception-node deserialization permits arbitrary callable execution
IDs: CVE-2026-58076, GHSA-8prw-8m6x-8w6f
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-58076 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 13:54 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 8.8)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: apache-airflow 3.3.1. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- PyPI apache-airflow: affected >= 3.3.0, < 3.3.1; fixed in 3.3.1

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `python -m pip show apache-airflow`: prints the installed version. Run with the environment that serves production active.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on apache-airflow.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-8prw-8m6x-8w6f (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-8prw-8m6x-8w6f lists affected ranges: PyPI apache-airflow >=3.3.0 <3.3.1)

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