An issue was found in Apache Airflow versions 1.10.10 and below. A remote code/command injection vulnerability was discovered in one of the example DAGs shipped with Airflow which would allow any authenticated user to run arbitrary commands as the user running airflow worker/scheduler (depending on the executor in use). If you already have examples disabled by setting load_examples=False in the config then you are not vulnerable.
References
| Link | Resource |
|---|---|
| http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162908/Apache-Airflow-1.10.10-Remote-Code-Execution.html | Exploit Third Party Advisory VDB Entry |
| http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174764/Apache-Airflow-1.10.10-Remote-Code-Execution.html | Exploit Third Party Advisory VDB Entry |
| https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r7255cf0be3566f23a768e2a04b40fb09e52fcd1872695428ba9afe91%40%3Cusers.airflow.apache.org%3E | Mailing List Vendor Advisory |
| http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162908/Apache-Airflow-1.10.10-Remote-Code-Execution.html | Exploit Third Party Advisory VDB Entry |
| http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174764/Apache-Airflow-1.10.10-Remote-Code-Execution.html | Exploit Third Party Advisory VDB Entry |
| https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r7255cf0be3566f23a768e2a04b40fb09e52fcd1872695428ba9afe91%40%3Cusers.airflow.apache.org%3E | Mailing List Vendor Advisory |
| https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-11978 | Third Party Advisory US Government Resource |
Configurations
History
23 Oct 2025, 14:49
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| References | () https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-11978 - Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource |
22 Oct 2025, 00:16
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21 Oct 2025, 20:17
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21 Oct 2025, 19:18
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21 Nov 2024, 04:59
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| References | () http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162908/Apache-Airflow-1.10.10-Remote-Code-Execution.html - Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry | |
| References | () http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174764/Apache-Airflow-1.10.10-Remote-Code-Execution.html - Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry | |
| References | () https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r7255cf0be3566f23a768e2a04b40fb09e52fcd1872695428ba9afe91%40%3Cusers.airflow.apache.org%3E - Mailing List, Vendor Advisory |
24 Jul 2024, 16:47
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| References | () http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174764/Apache-Airflow-1.10.10-Remote-Code-Execution.html - Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry |
12 Jul 2022, 17:42
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| CWE | CWE-78 |
22 Dec 2021, 21:00
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| References | (MISC) http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162908/Apache-Airflow-1.10.10-Remote-Code-Execution.html - Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry | |
| CWE | CWE-77 |
02 Jun 2021, 16:15
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Information
Published : 2020-07-17 00:15
Updated : 2025-10-23 14:49
NVD link : CVE-2020-11978
Mitre link : CVE-2020-11978
CVE.ORG link : CVE-2020-11978
JSON object : View
Products Affected
apache
- airflow
CWE
CWE-78
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
