CVE-2025-54831
📋 TL;DR
Apache Airflow 3.0.3 has a security flaw where users with READ permissions can view sensitive connection information through both API and UI interfaces, bypassing intended access controls. This violates the 'write-only' model for sensitive data and affects all Airflow 3.0.3 deployments. Airflow 2.x versions are not affected as they had different documented behavior.
💻 Affected Systems
- Apache Airflow
📦 What is this software?
Airflow by Apache
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers with read access could exfiltrate database credentials, API keys, and other sensitive connection data, potentially leading to full system compromise and data breaches.
Likely Case
Internal users with read permissions could accidentally or intentionally view sensitive credentials they shouldn't have access to, violating security policies and potentially enabling lateral movement.
If Mitigated
With proper network segmentation and minimal privilege access, the impact is limited to credential exposure within the Airflow environment only.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires user with READ permissions on connections. Exploitation is straightforward through normal UI/API access.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.0.4 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://lists.apache.org/thread/vblmfqtydrp5zgn2q8tj3slk5podxspf
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Backup your Airflow configuration and database. 2. Upgrade Airflow using pip: 'pip install --upgrade apache-airflow==3.0.4'. 3. Verify the upgrade completed successfully. 4. Test that sensitive connection fields are no longer visible to users with only READ permissions.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Connection Read Permissions
allTemporarily remove READ permissions from all users except those who absolutely need them for connection editing.
# Adjust Airflow RBAC policies to restrict connection read access
# Review and modify user roles in Airflow configuration
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Immediately audit and reduce users with READ permissions on connections to absolute minimum
- Monitor access logs for suspicious connection viewing activity and implement alerting
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if running Airflow 3.0.3: 'airflow version' should show 3.0.3. Test with a user having only READ permissions if they can view sensitive connection fields in UI or via API.Check Version:
airflow versionVerify Fix Applied:
After upgrade, verify version is 3.0.4 or later. Test that users with only READ permissions cannot view sensitive connection fields. Verify AIRFLOW__CORE__HIDE_SENSITIVE_VAR_CONN_FIELDS setting works correctly.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual frequency of connection metadata API calls
- Access to /api/v1/connections/ endpoints by non-admin users
Network Indicators:
- Increased traffic to Airflow API connection endpoints from non-admin users
SIEM Query:
source="airflow" AND (uri_path="/api/v1/connections/" OR event="connection_view") AND user_role!="Admin"