Executive brief
A vulnerability in the Apache Airflow Kubernetes provider allows users with limited, read-only access to Kubernetes pods to view sensitive security tokens. These tokens are used by Airflow to manage automated tasks. An attacker could use these stolen tokens to impersonate legitimate tasks, potentially allowing them to modify the Airflow database or interfere with business workflows.
Technical details
A vulnerability in the Apache Airflow CNCF Kubernetes provider (apache-airflow-providers-cncf-kubernetes) stems from the exposure of JWT tokens within the command-line arguments of KubernetesExecutor workers. Because these arguments are visible to any user with read-only access to Kubernetes Pods (e.g., via 'kubectl describe pod'), an attacker with low privileges can capture the tokens. These tokens grant access to the Airflow Task SDK, enabling the attacker to perform actions reserved for running tasks, such as modifying the state of the Airflow database. The issue is addressed in version 10.17.0 by implementing a two-token mechanism that restricts the scope and exposure of sensitive credentials.
Affected products
- Apache Software Foundation apache-airflow-providers-cncf-kubernetes < 10.17.0
Timeline
- 2026-01-04: other: Initial pull request for two-token mechanism submitted
- 2026-05-19: disclosed: Vulnerability disclosed and CVE assigned
- 2026-05-19: advisory: GitHub Advisory published