CVE-2024-41937: Apache Airflow XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2024-41937 Overview

CVE-2024-41937 is a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Apache Airflow versions before 2.10.0. The flaw allows the developer of a malicious provider package to execute JavaScript in a victim's browser when the victim clicks a provider documentation link in the Airflow web UI. Exploitation requires the malicious provider to be installed on the Airflow web server and requires user interaction. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation and is fixed in Apache Airflow 2.10.0.

Critical Impact
An attacker who controls or compromises an installed provider package can inject scripts that execute in the context of an authenticated Airflow user's browser session.

Affected Products

Apache Airflow versions prior to 2.10.0
Airflow deployments with third-party or untrusted provider packages installed on the web server
Airflow web UI components rendering provider documentation links

Discovery Timeline

2024-08-21 - CVE CVE-2024-41937 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-41937

Vulnerability Analysis

Apache Airflow renders links to provider documentation inside the web UI. Before version 2.10.0, the metadata used to construct these links was not properly sanitized before being embedded in the page. A provider package author who controls the documentation URL field can inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript, which the browser executes when a user clicks the link.

Because the payload executes in the authenticated context of the Airflow web UI, it can access session state, trigger authenticated actions against the Airflow API, and pivot into surrounding workflows. The scope change reflects that the injected script executes in the browser's security context rather than only within the Airflow server. Exploitation requires user interaction and installation of a malicious provider, which limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk in environments that install community providers.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing output encoding when rendering provider-supplied documentation URLs in the Airflow web interface. Provider metadata is treated as trusted, allowing HTML or JavaScript payloads to be embedded directly in anchor elements. Apache Airflow 2.10.0 introduces proper sanitization for this rendering path. See GitHub Pull Request #40933 for the code-level fix.

Attack Vector

An attacker publishes or modifies an Airflow provider package containing a crafted documentation URL. Once an administrator installs the provider on the Airflow web server, the malicious link appears in the UI. When an authenticated user clicks the link, the injected script executes in their browser. For technical background, see the Apache Mailing List Thread and the OpenWall OSS Security Update.

No public proof-of-concept exploit is available for CVE-2024-41937, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-41937

Indicators of Compromise

Provider packages installed on the Airflow web server originating from untrusted or unverified sources.
Anchor elements in rendered Airflow UI pages containing javascript: URIs or inline event handlers such as onclick or onerror.
Unexpected outbound HTTP requests from browsers of authenticated Airflow users shortly after visiting provider pages.

Detection Strategies

Inventory all installed Airflow providers and compare against an approved allowlist maintained by the platform team.
Inspect provider metadata fields, including documentation URLs, for HTML tags, script fragments, or non-https:// schemes.
Enable web server access logging and review requests to provider documentation endpoints for anomalous referrers or payload patterns.

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor Airflow web UI Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports to identify blocked inline script execution attempts.
Alert on installation or upgrade of provider packages on production Airflow schedulers and web servers.
Track authenticated Airflow API calls that originate from unusual user-agent strings or immediately follow UI interactions.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-41937

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade Apache Airflow to version 2.10.0 or later on all web server, scheduler, and worker nodes.
Audit installed provider packages and remove any that are not required or that come from unverified maintainers.
Restrict web UI access to authenticated users on trusted networks until patching is complete.

Patch Information

Apache Airflow 2.10.0 resolves CVE-2024-41937 by sanitizing provider-supplied documentation links before rendering. The fix is implemented in GitHub Pull Request #40933. Operators running Airflow via managed services, container images, or Helm charts should verify that the deployed image includes version 2.10.0 or later.

Workarounds

Limit provider installations to a curated internal set until the upgrade is applied.
Deploy a strict Content Security Policy on the Airflow web server that blocks inline scripts and javascript: URIs.
Instruct Airflow users to avoid clicking provider documentation links from newly installed or unfamiliar providers until validation is complete.

bash

# Upgrade Apache Airflow using pip with constraints
AIRFLOW_VERSION=2.10.0
PYTHON_VERSION="$(python --version | cut -d ' ' -f 2 | cut -d '.' -f 1,2)"
CONSTRAINT_URL="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/apache/airflow/constraints-${AIRFLOW_VERSION}/constraints-${PYTHON_VERSION}.txt"
pip install "apache-airflow==${AIRFLOW_VERSION}" --constraint "${CONSTRAINT_URL}"

# Verify installed version
airflow version

# List installed providers for audit
airflow providers list