Apache Airflow exposes sensitive JSON Variable values through the Bulk Variables API
Medium6.5CVE-2026-48828 · Published Jul 7, 2026 · updated Sep 10, 2026
The Bulk Variables API in Apache Airflow called the redactor without passing the variable's key, so the key-based `should_hide_value_for_key` check (which triggers on secret-suffixed key names like `*_password` / `*_token` / `*_secret`) could not fire for JSON-decodable variable values. An authenticated UI/API user with bulk Variable read permission could retrieve plaintext values from JSON variables whose key would otherwise trigger redaction. Affects deployments that store sensitive values in JSON-typed Airflow Variables under secret-suffixed key names. Users are advised to upgrade to `apache-airflow` 3.3.0 or later (the fix landed on `main` after 3.2.2; no 3.2.x backport).
Affected versions
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| apache-airflow PyPI | < 3.3.0 | 3.3.0 |
Details and references
- CVSS 3.1
- CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
- Severity from
- GitHub (reviewed advisory)
- Weakness
- CWE-200
- Also known as
- BIT-airflow-2026-48828, CVE-2026-48828, PYSEC-2026-3806
More Apache Airflow advisories
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|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 7 | Apache Airflow exposes deferred trigger kwargs in task-instance API responses Medium6.5Jul 7 | Medium6.5 | 3.3.0 |
| Jul 7 | apache-airflow DAG source authorization bypass exposes co-located DAG sourceMedium6.5Jul 7 | Medium6.5 | 3.3.0 |
| Jul 7 | Apache Airflow allows code execution through unsafe serialized DAG deserializationCritical9.8Jul 7 | Critical9.8 | 3.3.0 |
| Jul 7 | Apache Airflow exposes unreadable DAG identifiers in the scheduling dependencies graphMedium4.3Jul 7 | Medium4.3 | 3.3.0 |
| Jul 7 | Apache Airflow exposes secrets backend credentials through the Config APIMedium6.5Jul 7 | Medium6.5 | 3.3.0 |
| Jun 1 | Apache Airflow has no certificate validation on SMTP STARTTLS connectionsMedium5.9Jun 1 | Medium5.9 | 3.2.2 |