CVE-2026-48828 Apache Airflow: Bulk JSON Variables bypass should_hide_value_for_key - redact() called without the key
Authenticated users can retrieve plaintext secrets from JSON variables due to missing key-based redaction checks in the Bulk Variables API.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-48828?
CVE-2026-48828 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Apache Airflow, published on 7 Jul 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
The Bulk Variables API in Apache Airflow called the redactor without passing the variable's key, so the key-based `should_hide_value_for_key` check (which triggers on secret-suffixed key names like `*_password` / `*_token` / `*_secret`) could not fire for JSON-decodable variable values. An authenticated UI/API user with bulk Variable read permission could retrieve plaintext values from JSON variables whose key would otherwise trigger redaction. Affects deployments that store sensitive values in JSON-typed Airflow Variables under secret-suffixed key names. Users are advised to upgrade to `apache-airflow` 3.3.0 or later (the fix landed on `main` after 3.2.2; no 3.2.x backport).
Weakness: CWE-200
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-48828?
4 open source packages ship an affected version, including apache-airflow and airflow. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
apache-airflow PyPI | All versions | 3.3.0 |
apache-airflow PyPI | All versions | 3.3.0 |
apache-airflow PyPI | All versions | 3.3.0 |
airflow Bitnami | All versions | 3.3.0 |
Products include Apache Airflow.
How do I fix CVE-2026-48828?
Upgrade apache-airflow to 3.3.0 or later.
Is CVE-2026-48828 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-48828 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Apache Airflow
- CVE-2020-13927 Apache Airflow's Experimental API Authentication Bypass
- CVE-2020-11978 Apache Airflow Command Injection
- CVE-2026-33264 Apache Airflow: DAG author RCE on webserver via unrestricted import_string() in BaseSerialization.deserialize()
- CVE-2023-25754 Apache Airflow: Privilege escalation using airflow logs
- CVE-2023-22884 Apache Airflow, Apache Airflow MySQL Provider: Arbitrary file read via MySQL provider in Apache Airflow
Sources
Also known as BIT-airflow-2026-48828, CLEANSTART-2026-TQ39648, ECHO-2431-3a02-f2b2, GHSA-563f-2439-rmq4, MINI-8rgj-f3pj-fpc6, MINI-jc59-xvr5-wj92 and 1 more.