# CVE-2026-86462: Apache Airflow FAB provider session invalidation bypass on password change

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-86462-apache-airflow-fab-provider-session-invalidation-bypass-on  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-16. Updated: 2026-09-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-86462 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.1 · Published 2026-09-16

Apache Airflow's FAB authentication provider allows administrators to change user passwords via an API endpoint. When a password is changed this way, the system fails to invalidate the user's existing login sessions. An attacker who previously captured a user's session cookie can continue accessing that account even after the password is reset, defeating the security purpose of a password change.

Technologies: [Apache-Airflow-Providers-Fab](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/apache-airflow-providers-fab). Vendors: [Apache](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/apache).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-86462 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-86462 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-86462?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.1, published 16 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Apache Airflow FAB provider before 3.9.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-86462?** A patch was published on 2026-09-09: Fix merged in apache/airflow PR #72657 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-86462 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-86462?** Check whether you run Apache-Airflow-Providers-Fab. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

The vulnerability is a session-invalidation bypass in the Admin user-edit PATCH endpoint (`PATCH /auth/fab/v1/users/{username}`) of the apache-airflow-providers-fab library. When a user's password is updated through this endpoint, the code changes the password hash and saves the user record but never calls the session-invalidation helper function that would terminate existing database-backed sessions. An attacker with a previously obtained session cookie can continue using that cookie to authenticate as the victim user after their password is reset. This is a database-backed sessions issue affecting deployments using the FAB auth manager. The fix requires upgrading to apache-airflow-providers-fab 3.9.0 or later, which adds session invalidation to the PATCH endpoint logic.

## Affected products

- Apache Airflow FAB provider before 3.9.0

## Timeline

- 2026-09-16: disclosed
- 2026-09-09: patched: Fix merged in apache/airflow PR #72657

## References

- [https://pypi.python.org/](https://pypi.python.org/)
- [https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/72657](https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/72657)

## Related threats

- [Apache Airflow FAB provider authentication bypass in Authentik OAuth](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-86466-apache-airflow-fab-provider-authentication-bypass-in-authentik)
- [Apache Airflow FAB provider token revocation bypass for deactivated accounts](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-82310-apache-airflow-fab-provider-token-revocation-bypass-for)
- [Apache Airflow FAB provider session invalidation bypass](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-82311-apache-airflow-fab-provider-session-invalidation-bypass)
- [Apache Airflow FAB provider auth bypass in Azure AD OAuth](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-75156-apache-airflow-fab-provider-auth-bypass-in-azure-ad-oauth)