Cyber Resilience

CVE-2022-24288

RCE in Apache Airflow ≤ 2.2.4

High EPSSRCECommand Injection
Published
25 February 2022
Modified
21 November 2024
CVSS Score v3.1 8.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.78 99.5th percentile
Risk Priority 90 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2022-24288 is a high-severity OS Command Injection (CWE-78) vulnerability in Apache Airflow. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 0.5% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

In Apache Airflow versions prior to 2.2.4, certain example DAGs failed to sanitize user-supplied parameters, exposing an OS command injection flaw reachable through the web UI. The issue is tracked as CWE-78 and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.8, reflecting network-accessible exploitation with low attack complexity and no user interaction required once an authenticated session exists.

An authenticated user with access to the web UI can supply crafted parameters to the affected example DAGs, resulting in arbitrary operating-system command execution on the scheduler or worker host. Successful exploitation grants the attacker full control over confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the Airflow deployment and any connected systems.

The referenced Apache mailing-list announcement describes the flaw and states that the vulnerability is resolved in version 2.2.4; operators are advised to upgrade and to avoid exposing the example DAGs in production environments. The EPSS score remains elevated, with a recorded peak of 0.9418 and a current value of 0.8982.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A05:2025 Injection

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

In Apache Airflow, prior to version 2.2.4, some example DAGs did not properly sanitize user-provided params, making them susceptible to OS Command Injection from the web UI.

CWE(s)
CWE-78

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.003 Windows Command Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse the Windows command shell for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2020-11978Same product: Apache Airflow
CVE-2025-54941Same product: Apache Airflow
CVE-2022-40127Same product: Apache Airflow
CVE-2023-49920Same product: Apache Airflow
CVE-2023-22887Same product: Apache Airflow
CVE-2023-50943Same product: Apache Airflow
CVE-2023-22888Same product: Apache Airflow
CVE-2023-29247Same product: Apache Airflow
CVE-2023-47265Same product: Apache Airflow
CVE-2023-50944Same product: Apache Airflow

Affected Assets

apache
airflow
≤ 2.2.4

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.2.5
  • V1.2.8
  • V15.2.5

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

SC-27 Platform-independent Applications
addresses: CWE-78

Platform-independent apps typically execute inside a managed runtime or sandbox that restricts direct OS command execution, reducing the ability to exploit OS command injection.

SI-10 Information Input Validation
addresses: CWE-78

Validates inputs to block special elements that would alter OS command execution.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

PR.PS-06's SDLC practices directly require secure coding and input handling that blocks command-injection defects, yet the single broad outcome leaves many specific neutralization vectors and verification gaps unaddressed.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Routine patching/maintenance can remediate known command-injection CVEs in dependencies (partial forward) but does nothing to stop developers from introducing improper neutralization in custom code (none reverse).

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing and code review target insecure use of operating-system command interfaces, catching command-injection flaws introduced during development.

References