CVE-2026-67260 Apache Airflow: DAG-author remote code execution on the Scheduler via awaiting_input next_kwargs deserialization
A DAG author can achieve remote code execution or cause denial of service in the Apache Airflow scheduler via unsafe deserialization of task arguments.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-67260?
CVE-2026-67260 is a high-severity unsafe deserialization vulnerability in Apache Airflow, published on 12 Aug 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Apache Airflow 3.3.0 moved human-in-the-loop tasks from the triggerer to a new `awaiting_input` task state swept by the scheduler. That sweep deserializes the task instance's `next_kwargs` without an allow-list, so a Dag author — who controls that value through the task execution API — can cause an arbitrary module import and object instantiation inside the scheduler process, or terminate the scheduler job. No non-default configuration is required: the sweep runs unconditionally every 15 seconds, and the default `allowed_deserialization_classes` setting does not cover this code path. Versions before 3.3.0 are not affected, because human-in-the-loop tasks deferred onto the triggerer instead. This is a different code path from CVE-2026-58076, which covers the same unguarded exception-node deserialization reached elsewhere — deployments that applied that fix must upgrade for this issue as well. Users are advised to upgrade to apache-airflow 3.3.1 or later.
Weakness: CWE-502
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-67260?
4 open source packages ship an affected version, including apache-airflow and airflow. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
apache-airflow PyPI | From 3.3.0 | 3.3.1 |
apache-airflow PyPI | From 3.3.0 | 3.3.1 |
apache-airflow PyPI | From 3.3.0 | 3.3.1 |
airflow Bitnami | From 3.3.0 | 3.3.1 |
Products include Apache Airflow.
How do I fix CVE-2026-67260?
Upgrade apache-airflow to 3.3.1 or later.
Upgrade, and only deserialise data from trusted sources or with an allow-list of types. More about Unsafe deserialization.
Is CVE-2026-67260 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-67260 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-2026-67260, GHSA-q4c3-7575-55j2, MINI-c62j-r75r-7ppq, PYSEC-2026-3707.