CVE-2020-17526 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.7) vulnerability in apache-airflow. EPSS puts its 30-day exploitation probability at 23.3% (98th percentile). A fix is available for apache-airflow — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Incorrect Session Validation in Apache Airflow
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2020-17526 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,386 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 10–50% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
apache-airflowReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Incorrect Session Validation in Apache Airflow Webserver versions prior to 1.10.14 with default config allows a malicious airflow user on site A where they log in normally, to access unauthorized Airflow Webserver on Site B through the session from Site A. This does not affect users who have changed the default value for [webserver] secret_key config.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | apache-airflow | all versions | 1.10.14pip install --upgrade 'apache-airflow==1.10.14' |
Affected Products
airflowapacheDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for apache-airflow, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update apache-airflow to 1.10.14 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-17526 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How to detect CVE-2020-17526
A community-maintained Nuclei template exists for this CVE. You can scan for it directly:
nuclei -id cve-2020-17526 -u https://target- Template
- Apache Airflow <1.10.14 - Authentication Bypass
- Severity
- high
- Impact
- Successful exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information or unauthorized execution of arbitrary code.
- Remediation
- Change default value for [webserver] secret_key config.
Template by ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates (piyushchhiroliya), MIT licensed. View the full template. Scan only systems you are authorised to test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-17526 in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.