CVE-2026-68076: Apache Airflow Cross-Team Credential Exposure via Environment Variables
Summary
CVE-2026-68076: Apache Airflow environment-variable secrets backend permits cross-team credential use. Affects apache-airflow versions < 3.3.1. Fixed in 3.3.1. How to fix ↓
Also tracked for
- airflow · Bitnami
The same CVE-2026-68076 is tracked separately for each ecosystem and vendor. Its fix information is the same; the package and affected versions differ.
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Background
Apache Airflow is an open-source platform designed to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor workflows. It allows users to define workflows as Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) using Python code. Airflow supports multi-team environments, enabling different teams to manage their own connections and variables securely. However, a vulnerability in its environment-variable secrets backend allows cross-team credential access, posing a significant security risk.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability arises from Apache Airflow's environment-variable secrets backend, which improperly resolves team-scoped Connections or Variables from the wrong team's scope. The security guard intended to prevent this issue only activates when no team scope is provided, and it fails to recognize team names containing underscores. As a result, an authenticated user from one team can access another team's credentials via the API, specifically through the endpoint POST /api/v2/connections/test. This could lead to unauthorized access and misuse of sensitive information, especially in multi-team configurations.
How To Fix
Latest published version: 3.3.2 as of 22 Oct 2026
pip install --upgrade "apache-airflow==3.3.2"Upgrading to it may include breaking changes; the version below is the minimum fixed release for this vulnerability.
If you need the minimum change
3.3.1
This is the first release that contains the fix.
pip install --upgrade "apache-airflow==3.3.1"Tip — Not sure which version your app runs? Vulert can match this fix to it. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary workaround, users can disable the multi-team feature or ensure that team names do not contain underscores, although this may not be a viable long-term solution.
Conclusion
The vulnerability CVE-2026-68076 in Apache Airflow poses a significant risk by allowing cross-team credential access due to improper handling of environment-variable secrets. Users are strongly advised to upgrade to version 3.3.1 or later to secure their applications. Additionally, utilizing tools like Vulert can help monitor for such vulnerabilities in real-time.
See every vulnerability recorded for apache-airflow →
FAQ
CVE-2026-68076 is a vulnerability in Apache Airflow that allows cross-team credential access due to improper handling of environment-variable secrets.
If your team uses Apache Airflow in a multi-team setup, this vulnerability could allow users from one team to access sensitive credentials of another team, leading to potential data breaches.
Versions prior to 3.3.1 are affected by this vulnerability. It is crucial to upgrade to the patched version to mitigate the risk.
Yes, you can use Vulert to monitor and alert for open-source vulnerabilities in your software. You can check if your application is affected by this vulnerability using the Vulert playground without any signup.
The CVSS score of this vulnerability is 5.4, indicating a moderate severity level.
References
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