CVE-2023-25754
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2023-25754 is a privilege context switching error in Apache Airflow that allows authenticated users to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. This affects Apache Airflow installations before version 2.6.0. The vulnerability enables privilege escalation within Airflow's task execution environment.
💻 Affected Systems
- Apache Airflow
📦 What is this software?
Airflow by Apache
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full compromise of the Airflow instance allowing execution of arbitrary system commands, data exfiltration, and lateral movement to connected systems.
Likely Case
Privilege escalation leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data, manipulation of workflows, and potential persistence in the environment.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation, minimal user privileges, and monitoring in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access to Airflow but is straightforward once authenticated.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.6.0 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://lists.apache.org/thread/3y83gr0qb8t49ppfk4fb2yk7md8ltq4v
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Backup your Airflow configuration and database. 2. Upgrade to Airflow 2.6.0 or later using pip: 'pip install --upgrade apache-airflow==2.6.0'. 3. Run database migrations: 'airflow db upgrade'. 4. Restart all Airflow components (webserver, scheduler, workers).
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict User Privileges
allLimit authenticated users to minimal necessary permissions using Airflow's RBAC system.
Configure in airflow.cfg: [webserver] rbac = True
Use Airflow UI to assign minimal roles
Network Segmentation
allIsolate Airflow instance from sensitive systems and restrict network access.
firewall rules to limit inbound/outbound connections
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network access controls to limit who can reach the Airflow web interface
- Enable detailed logging and monitoring for suspicious activity in Airflow task executions
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Airflow version: 'airflow version' or in web UI footer. If version is below 2.6.0, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
airflow versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm version is 2.6.0 or higher: 'airflow version' should show 2.6.0+. Test that normal workflows still execute properly.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual task execution patterns
- Privilege escalation attempts in task logs
- Unexpected system command execution
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Airflow workers
- Traffic to unexpected destinations
SIEM Query:
source="airflow" AND (event="task_execution" OR event="dag_run") AND (command="sudo" OR command="chmod" OR command="chown")🔗 References
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/05/08/2
- https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/29506
- https://lists.apache.org/thread/3y83gr0qb8t49ppfk4fb2yk7md8ltq4v
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/05/08/2
- https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/29506
- https://lists.apache.org/thread/3y83gr0qb8t49ppfk4fb2yk7md8ltq4v
