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AirflowApplication · Apache

CVE-2017-17836

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-01-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.8.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In Apache Airflow 1.8.2 and earlier, an experimental Airflow feature displayed authenticated cookies, as well as passwords to databases used by Airflow. An attacker who has limited access to airflow, whether it be via XSS or by leaving a machine unlocked can exfiltrate all credentials from the system.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Apache Airflow 1.8.2 and earlier contained an experimental feature that insecurely exposed authenticated session cookies and database passwords in the UI or API responses. An attacker with limited access (via XSS or physical access to an unlocked workstation) could harvest these credentials to escalate privileges and access underlying data stores.

MitigationUpgrade Airflow to a version newer than 1.8.2 that removes the experimental feature, or disable and remove the experimental feature entirely. Additionally, rotate all exposed credentials (database passwords, session cookies) as a precautionary measure.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
AirflowApplication
Affected:<= 1.8.2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed Airflow version
    Run 'airflow version' or check the version in your package manager. Compare the version number to the affected range <= 1.8.2.
    Affected if The installed version is 1.8.2 or earlier.
  2. Identify if experimental features are enabled
    Review Airflow configuration files (airflow.cfg or similar) for settings related to 'experimental' features, 'expose' options, or debug mode. Look for configuration keys that control whether sensitive data is exposed in the UI or API.
    Affected if An experimental feature that exposes configuration or session data is enabled in the settings.
  3. Inspect UI and API responses for sensitive data
    Use a browser or HTTP client to access the Airflow UI and API endpoints. Look for any responses that contain session cookies, database passwords, or other credentials that should not be visible to users.
    Affected if Authenticated session cookies or database passwords appear in UI pages or API responses.
  4. Review Airflow logs and configuration files for exposed secrets
    Examine Airflow log files and configuration files for any instances where session cookies, database passwords, or other credentials are being logged or displayed. Check if these sensitive values are accessible without proper authentication.
    Affected if Credentials are being logged or made accessible through the experimental feature.

You are affected if running Airflow version 1.8.2 or earlier with an experimental feature enabled that exposes session cookies or database passwords in the UI, API, or logs.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 1.8.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Airflow to a version newer than 1.8.2 that removes the experimental feature, or disable and remove the experimental feature entirely. Additionally, rotate all exposed credentials (database passwords, session cookies) as a precautionary measure.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apache Airflow 1.9.0 or later

  1. 1. Back up your current Airflow configuration, DAGs, and metadata database
  2. 2. Verify current Airflow version by running `airflow version`
  3. 3. Upgrade Airflow to version 1.9.0 or later using pip: `pip install apache-airflow==1.9.0` (or a later stable version)
  4. 4. Review and test your DAGs for compatibility with the new version
  5. 5. Verify the experimental features are disabled or removed in the new version
  6. 6. Restart all Airflow components (webserver, scheduler, worker)
  7. 7. Confirm credentials are no longer exposed via the experimental feature
Caveat Potential DAG compatibility changes between 1.8.2 and 1.9.0; review CHANGELOG for breaking changes

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Airflow Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,690
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-17836 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data