CVE-2023-40272
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Apache Airflow Spark Provider allows attackers to inject malicious parameters when establishing connections, potentially enabling file read access on the Airflow server. It affects organizations using Apache Airflow with Spark Provider before version 4.1.3. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation (CWE-20).
💻 Affected Systems
- Apache Airflow Spark Provider
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full server file system read access leading to credential theft, configuration exposure, and potential lateral movement.
Likely Case
Limited file read access to directories accessible by the Airflow process, potentially exposing sensitive configuration files and credentials.
If Mitigated
No impact if proper network segmentation and least privilege access controls are implemented.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires access to Airflow connection configuration interface or API endpoints.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 4.1.3
Vendor Advisory: https://lists.apache.org/thread/t03gktyzyor20rh06okd91jtqmw6k1l7
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Upgrade Apache Airflow Spark Provider to version 4.1.3 or later using pip: 'pip install --upgrade apache-airflow-providers-apache-spark>=4.1.3'. 2. Restart all Airflow services. 3. Verify the upgrade completed successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Connection Configuration Access
allLimit access to Airflow connection configuration interface to trusted administrators only.
Network Segmentation
allIsolate Airflow servers from sensitive file systems and other critical infrastructure.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to Airflow web interface and API endpoints
- Monitor for suspicious connection configuration changes and file access patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check installed Spark Provider version: 'pip show apache-airflow-providers-apache-spark | grep Version'Check Version:
pip show apache-airflow-providers-apache-spark | grep VersionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 4.1.3 or higher: 'pip list | grep apache-airflow-providers-apache-spark'📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual connection parameter configurations
- File read operations from Airflow process to unexpected paths
Network Indicators:
- Suspicious API calls to connection configuration endpoints
SIEM Query:
source="airflow" AND (event="connection_modified" OR event="file_access")🔗 References
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/08/17/1
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/08/18/1
- https://lists.apache.org/thread/t03gktyzyor20rh06okd91jtqmw6k1l7
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/08/17/1
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/08/18/1
- https://lists.apache.org/thread/t03gktyzyor20rh06okd91jtqmw6k1l7
