CVE-2025-54550
Apache Airflow: RCE by race condition in example_xcom dag
Reported by apache · Published April 15, 2026
apache-airflow is fixed in 3.2.0 and 3.0.0 (PyPI)
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.
Fixed versions
Upgrade to a fixed version or later. Language registries are listed first, then Linux distributions, then vendor products.
| Package | Ecosystem | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| apache-airflow | PyPI | 3.2.0, 3.0.0 |
| apache-airflow-core | PyPI | 3.2.0 |
| airflow | Bitnami | 3.2.0 |
| airflow | apache | 3.2.0 |
Risk scores
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Apache Software Foundation | Apache Airflow | 0 |
| Apache Software Foundation | Apache Airflow | 3.0.0 |
| Apache Software Foundation | Apache Airflow | 3.0.0 |
| PyPI | apache-airflow | 0 |
| Apache Software Foundation | Apache Airflow | 0 |
Timeline
- Apr 14, 2026 CVE Published
- Apr 15, 2026 PoC Published (2 in total, the first dated here)
- Apr 18, 2026 CVE Updated
- Apr 19, 2026 Security Advisory
- May 18, 2026 EPSS Score (30 in total, the first dated here)
- Jul 3, 2026 Coalition ESS Score
Query this with the API
The same record, from the CLI:
vulnetix vdb vuln CVE-2025-54550
vulnetix vdb fixes CVE-2025-54550Or with curl, using the org id and key from your account page:
curl -s -H "Authorization: ApiKey ${VULNETIX_ORG_ID}:${VULNETIX_API_KEY}" \
"https://api.vdb.vulnetix.com/v2/vuln/CVE-2025-54550/fixes/registry"The Community plan is free and allows 50 queries a day. Get a free API key · API quickstart
References
- vendor-advisory
- patch
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-54550 advisory
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-q2hg-643c-gw8h advisory
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/04/15/1 url
- https://github.com/apache/airflow url