High [CVE-2025-54550] Apache Airflow: RCE by race condition in example_xcom dag
This high-severity Apache Software Foundation advisory covers CVE-2025-54550 affecting Airflow.
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Summary
The example example_xcom that was included in airflow documentation implemented unsafe pattern of reading value from xcom in the way that could be exploited to allow UI user who had access to modify XComs to perform arbitrary
execution of code on the worker. Since the UI users are already highly trusted, this is a Low severity vulnerability.
It does not affect Airflow release - example_dags are not supposed to be enabled in production environment, however users following the example could replicate the bad pattern.
Documentation of Airflow 3.2.0 contains version of the example with improved resiliance for that case.
Users who followed that pattern are advised to adjust their implementations accordingly.
Affected product named by the advisory: Apache Airflow.
- Apache Airflow before 3.2.0
Official advisory · high-confidence parse· fetched 13 days ago·verify at source
Mitigation
Upgrade to a fixed release: 3.2.0. That is the remediation for this advisory.
The vendor advisory may list additional interim mitigations or workarounds not captured here — review it before change work.
Official advisory · high-confidence parse· fetched 13 days ago·verify at source
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