CVE-2026-82355
Apache Airflow: Session cookie silently overrides explicit Authorization bearer header, enabling session fixation
Description
When a request to the Airflow core API carries both a session cookie and an explicit `Authorization: Bearer` token, Airflow resolves the caller from the cookie and ignores the bearer token, inverting the intended precedence of bearer over cookie. The request then executes -- and is recorded in the audit log -- as the cookie's principal rather than the identity the client explicitly presented. Only Apache Airflow 3.3.0 and 3.3.1 are affected. Earlier releases do not contain the code path that caches the cookie-derived user, and are not vulnerable. Exploiting this requires an attacker to first place a valid session cookie of their own into the victim's browser or client: for example by cookie tossing from a sibling subdomain, through cross-site scripting in a separate application sharing a parent domain, or via a shared workstation. Deployments that host the Airflow UI on a domain shared with other applications are therefore the most exposed; a deployment on a dedicated domain with no co-hosted applications is not reachable this way. The consequence is principal confusion and misattributed audit records rather than a direct privilege escalation. Users of 3.3.0 or 3.3.1 should upgrade to Apache Airflow 3.3.2 or later, which resolves the caller from the explicitly supplied credential whenever one is present.
INFO
Published Date :
Sept. 21, 2026, 3:17 p.m.
Last Modified :
Sept. 25, 2026, 7:43 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | |||||
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 |
Solution
- Upgrade Apache Airflow to version 3.3.2 or later.
- Ensure authentication token precedence is correctly handled.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-82355.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/72225 | Issue Tracking Patch |
| https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/72723 | Issue Tracking Patch |
| https://lists.apache.org/thread/3p7zpdvv40tn01m0xk5mt2rxg88mw8w1 | Mailing List Vendor Advisory |
| http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/09/21/4 | Mailing List Third Party Advisory |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-82355 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-82355
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-82355 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-82355 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Sep. 25, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:apache:airflow:3.3.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:a:apache:airflow:3.3.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Added Reference Type Apache Software Foundation: https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/72225 Types: Issue Tracking, Patch Added Reference Type Apache Software Foundation: https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/72723 Types: Issue Tracking, Patch Added Reference Type Apache Software Foundation: https://lists.apache.org/thread/3p7zpdvv40tn01m0xk5mt2rxg88mw8w1 Types: Mailing List, Vendor Advisory Added Reference Type CVE: http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/09/21/4 Types: Mailing List, Third Party Advisory -
CVE Modified by af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
Sep. 21, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/09/21/4 -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Sep. 21, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-82355', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'partial'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-09-21T15:23:48.747705Z'} -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Sep. 21, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description When a request to the Airflow core API carries both a session cookie and an explicit `Authorization: Bearer` token, Airflow resolves the caller from the cookie and ignores the bearer token, inverting the intended precedence of bearer over cookie. The request then executes -- and is recorded in the audit log -- as the cookie's principal rather than the identity the client explicitly presented. Only Apache Airflow 3.3.0 and 3.3.1 are affected. Earlier releases do not contain the code path that caches the cookie-derived user, and are not vulnerable. Exploiting this requires an attacker to first place a valid session cookie of their own into the victim's browser or client: for example by cookie tossing from a sibling subdomain, through cross-site scripting in a separate application sharing a parent domain, or via a shared workstation. Deployments that host the Airflow UI on a domain shared with other applications are therefore the most exposed; a deployment on a dedicated domain with no co-hosted applications is not reachable this way. The consequence is principal confusion and misattributed audit records rather than a direct privilege escalation. Users of 3.3.0 or 3.3.1 should upgrade to Apache Airflow 3.3.2 or later, which resolves the caller from the explicitly supplied credential whenever one is present. Added CWE CWE-384 Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/82xxx/CVE-2026-82355.json">CVE-2026-82355</a> Added Reference https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/72225 Added Reference https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/72723 Added Reference https://lists.apache.org/thread/3p7zpdvv40tn01m0xk5mt2rxg88mw8w1