CVE-2024-42447 Overview
CVE-2024-42447 is an Insufficient Session Expiration vulnerability affecting Apache Airflow Providers FAB. This critical security flaw prevents users from properly logging out of the Apache Airflow web interface, leaving authenticated sessions active even after logout attempts. The vulnerability impacts FAB provider version 1.2.1 when used with Apache Airflow 2.9.3, and FAB provider version 1.2.0 affects all versions of Apache Airflow.
Critical Impact
This vulnerability allows attackers to hijack sessions that cannot be properly terminated, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive workflow orchestration data, credential theft, and complete compromise of Apache Airflow environments.
Affected Products
- Apache Airflow Providers FAB version 1.2.1 (when used with Apache Airflow 2.9.3)
- Apache Airflow Providers FAB version 1.2.0 (all Apache Airflow versions)
- Apache Airflow version 2.9.3 (when combined with FAB 1.2.1)
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-08-05 - CVE-2024-42447 published to NVD
- 2025-03-19 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-42447
Vulnerability Analysis
This vulnerability falls under CWE-613 (Insufficient Session Expiration), where the application fails to properly invalidate user sessions during logout operations. The FAB (Flask-AppBuilder) provider, which handles authentication and authorization for Apache Airflow's web interface, contains a flaw that prevents the session termination mechanism from functioning correctly.
When a user attempts to log out of Apache Airflow, the FAB provider fails to properly invalidate the session token on the server side. This means the session remains valid and can be reused by an attacker who has captured the session identifier through various means such as network interception, cross-site scripting attacks, or physical access to the user's browser.
The impact is particularly severe in enterprise environments where Apache Airflow manages critical data pipelines and has access to sensitive credentials, database connections, and cloud infrastructure.
Root Cause
The root cause lies in the FAB provider's session management implementation. The logout functionality fails to properly destroy server-side session data, leaving active sessions in a state where they can still be used for authentication. This affects FAB provider 1.2.0 across all Airflow versions and FAB provider 1.2.1 specifically when paired with Airflow 2.9.3.
Early versions of Airflow reference container images for version 2.9.3 and constraint files contained the vulnerable FAB provider 1.2.1, though this has been corrected in updated image versions.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is network-based and requires no privileges or user interaction. An attacker who obtains a valid session token through session hijacking, network sniffing on unencrypted connections, or other session capture techniques can maintain persistent access to the Apache Airflow instance. Since users cannot effectively terminate their sessions, the attacker's access window is extended indefinitely until the session expires naturally or is manually invalidated by an administrator.
The vulnerability can be exploited in the following scenario: A user logs into Apache Airflow, performs their tasks, and attempts to log out. The logout action appears to complete successfully from the user's perspective, but the session token remains valid on the server. If an attacker has previously captured this session token, they can continue to use it to access the Airflow web interface with the user's privileges.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-42447
Indicators of Compromise
- Multiple concurrent sessions from different IP addresses using the same session identifier
- Session activity continuing after user logout events in authentication logs
- Unusual access patterns to Apache Airflow web interface outside normal business hours
- Session tokens with abnormally long lifetimes in server-side session stores
Detection Strategies
- Monitor authentication logs for logout events that are not followed by session invalidation
- Implement session tracking to detect session tokens being used from multiple source IPs
- Review Apache Airflow access logs for activity patterns inconsistent with normal user behavior
- Configure alerting on session reuse after logout timestamps
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable detailed logging for Flask-AppBuilder authentication events
- Implement session monitoring at the load balancer or reverse proxy level
- Deploy network monitoring to detect session token replay attempts
- Audit installed FAB provider versions across all Airflow deployments regularly
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-42447
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade Apache Airflow Providers FAB to version 1.2.2 or later immediately
- Invalidate all existing user sessions manually after upgrade
- Upgrade Apache Airflow to the latest available version
- Pull updated container images or reinstall the FAB provider according to current constraints
Patch Information
Apache has released FAB provider version 1.2.2 which fixes the session expiration issue. The fix is documented in the GitHub Pull Request #40784. Users should reference the Apache Mailing List Thread for the official security advisory.
Users running Apache Airflow 2.9.3 should upgrade to FAB provider 1.2.2. Users running any Apache Airflow version with FAB provider 1.2.0 should also upgrade to version 1.2.2. Updated Airflow container images have been released with the corrected FAB provider version.
Workarounds
- Implement additional session timeout controls at the reverse proxy or load balancer level
- Force session invalidation through direct database or cache manipulation after user logouts
- Restrict network access to Apache Airflow web interface to trusted networks only
- Implement IP-based session binding to limit session token reuse from different locations
# Upgrade FAB provider to patched version
pip install apache-airflow-providers-fab==1.2.2
# Verify installed version
pip show apache-airflow-providers-fab | grep Version
# For containerized deployments, pull latest images
docker pull apache/airflow:latest
# Restart Airflow webserver after upgrade
airflow webserver --daemon
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
