Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-30898

RCE in Apache Airflow ≤ 3.2.0

Published
18 April 2026
Modified
21 April 2026
Patch / advisory
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 0.0077 52th percentile
Risk Priority 65 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-30898 is a high-severity Command Injection (CWE-77) 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 48% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

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

CVE-2026-30898 is a high-severity vulnerability (CVSS 8.8) stemming from an incorrect example in the Apache Airflow documentation for the BashOperator. The flawed guidance suggested a method of passing dag_run.conf that could result in unsanitized user input being executed, enabling command injection (CWE-77). This affects Apache Airflow deployments where users have adopted the erroneous documentation in their own DAGs, potentially exposing the worker nodes to privilege escalation from UI users.

An authenticated attacker with low privileges (PR:L), such as a standard Airflow UI user, can exploit this over the network (AV:N) with low complexity and no user interaction required. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code on the Airflow worker, achieving high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts (C:H/I:H/A:H).

Advisories recommend that Airflow users immediately review and audit their DAGs for any implementation following the vulnerable BashOperator example. The Apache Airflow project addressed the issue via a documentation pull request (https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/64129), with further details in mailing list announcements (https://lists.apache.org/thread/26zmhfj1t95c1hld2r14ho81nzh1bdc8) and OSS-Security (http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/04/17/7), emphasizing proactive DAG validation over a specific patch.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

An example of BashOperator in Airflow documentation suggested a way of passing dag_run.conf in the way that could cause unsanitized user input to be used to escalate privileges of UI user to allow execute code on worker. Users should review…

more

if any of their own DAGs have adopted this incorrect advice.

CWE(s)

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.
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.
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.003 Windows Command Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse the Windows command shell for execution.
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.008 Network Device CLI Execution
Adversaries may abuse scripting or built-in command line interpreters (CLI) on network devices to execute malicious command and payloads.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-22884Same product: Apache Airflow
CVE-2020-11978Same product: Apache Airflow
CVE-2022-24288Same product: Apache Airflow
CVE-2025-54941Same product: Apache Airflow
CVE-2022-40127Same product: Apache Airflow
CVE-2025-54550Same product: Apache Airflow
CVE-2024-56373Same product: Apache Airflow
CVE-2024-39877Same product: Apache Airflow
CVE-2025-62402Same product: Apache Airflow
CVE-2024-45034Same product: Apache Airflow

Affected Assets

apache
airflow
≤ 3.2.0

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)
  • V1.2.3
  • V1.2.5
  • V1.2.8
  • V1.2.9

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Developer testing and evaluation can discover command-construction flaws before deployment.

Input validation directly stops construction of commands from untrusted data containing special elements.

Secure engineering principles include proper neutralization and safe command construction practices.

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

Secure SDLC practices directly require input validation and neutralization that prevent command injection.

DE.CM-09 partial match
prevents

Runtime monitoring of software and data can detect anomalous command execution resulting from injection.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Identifying recorded vulnerabilities enables remediation of command-injection flaws before exploitation.

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.

prevents

Secure coding standards require proper escaping and parameterization of commands, directly eliminating CWE-77.

finds

Security testing in development catches command-injection vulnerabilities before release.

prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates input validation and command construction practices that directly prevent command injection.

prevents

Application security requirements explicitly call for controls against injection flaws including command injection.

prevents

Secure architecture principles reduce the attack surface but do not prescribe the specific neutralization techniques needed.

none

Environment separation limits the blast radius of an exploited command injection but does not prevent the flaw itself.

References