CVE-2025-67895: Apache Airflow Edge3 Provider RCE Flaw

CVE-2025-67895 Overview

CVE-2025-67895 is a critical Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability affecting Apache Airflow Providers Edge3 versions before 2.0.0 when installed and configured on Airflow 2. The vulnerability stems from an improperly exposed development-only API that was used for testing the Edge Provider during development. This non-public API inadvertently grants DAG authors the ability to execute arbitrary code within the webserver context—a privilege they should not possess.

Critical Impact

This vulnerability enables DAG authors to achieve Remote Code Execution in the Airflow webserver context, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and lateral movement within the infrastructure.

Affected Products

• Apache Airflow Providers Edge3 versions prior to 2.0.0
• Apache Airflow 2 installations with Edge3 provider configured
• Development and testing environments using Edge3 provider on Airflow 2

Discovery Timeline

• December 17, 2025 - CVE-2025-67895 published to NVD
• December 22, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-67895

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-669 (Incorrect Resource Transfer Between Spheres), indicating that sensitive functionality was exposed to an inappropriate security domain. The Edge3 provider support in Airflow 2 was intended strictly for development purposes and was never officially released for production use. However, when users installed and configured the Edge3 provider on Airflow 2 systems, the installation process implicitly enabled a non-public API endpoint that was designed for internal testing during the development phase.

The core issue lies in the Worker RPC (Remote Procedure Call) mechanism, which failed to properly restrict access to privileged operations. DAG authors, who typically have limited permissions to define workflows and data pipelines, were granted unintended access to execute code directly within the webserver context through this exposed API.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-67895 is the incorrect exposure of development testing APIs to production-like environments. The Edge3 provider codebase contained RPC endpoints that were necessary for testing but were not properly gated behind development-only flags or removed before the provider was made available. When users installed the Edge3 provider package on Airflow 2, these endpoints became accessible, creating a privilege escalation pathway from DAG author to webserver-level code execution.

The vulnerability specifically affects the boundary between DAG authoring permissions and webserver execution context. In a properly configured Airflow deployment, DAG authors should only be able to define workflows—not execute arbitrary code on the webserver.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based and requires no user interaction. An attacker with DAG author privileges can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious RPC calls to the exposed development API endpoints. The attack flow typically involves:

1. An authenticated user with DAG authoring privileges identifies the exposed RPC endpoints
2. The attacker crafts malicious payloads targeting the unprotected API
3. The webserver processes these requests without proper authorization checks
4. Arbitrary code executes within the webserver context with elevated privileges

The vulnerability does not require any special conditions beyond having the Edge3 provider installed and configured on an Airflow 2 instance. Technical details regarding the specific exploitation mechanism can be found in the Apache mailing list discussion and the GitHub Pull Request that addresses this issue.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-67895

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected RPC calls to Edge3 worker endpoints from DAG authoring contexts
• Anomalous code execution patterns originating from the Airflow webserver process
• Unusual network connections initiated by the webserver component to internal or external resources
• Modified or newly created files within the webserver directory or system paths

Detection Strategies

• Monitor Airflow webserver logs for unusual RPC call patterns targeting Edge3 worker endpoints
• Implement application-layer monitoring to detect unexpected code execution within the webserver context
• Review DAG submissions for suspicious payloads or unusual API interaction patterns
• Deploy network segmentation monitoring to identify unauthorized lateral movement attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for all Airflow API endpoints, particularly those related to Edge3 provider functionality
• Configure security information and event management (SIEM) alerts for webserver process anomalies
• Implement real-time monitoring of DAG author activities and API interactions
• Regularly audit installed Airflow providers and their versions against known vulnerable configurations

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-67895

Immediate Actions Required

• Uninstall the Edge3 provider from all Airflow 2 installations immediately
• Audit all systems to identify instances where Edge3 provider was installed and configured
• Review webserver logs for any signs of prior exploitation attempts
• Plan and execute migration to Airflow 3 for continued Edge provider functionality

Patch Information

Apache has addressed this vulnerability by releasing Edge3 provider version 2.0.0 and later, which sets the minimum Airflow version requirement to 3 and removes the vulnerable RPC code that affected Airflow 2 installations. Organizations requiring Edge provider functionality must upgrade to Airflow 3 and use Edge3 provider 2.0.0 or newer. The fix is documented in the Apache Airflow GitHub Pull Request #59143. Additional context is available via the OpenWall OSS Security advisory.

Workarounds

• Completely uninstall the Edge3 provider package from all Airflow 2 environments
• Restrict network access to Airflow webserver endpoints using firewall rules until migration is complete
• Implement strict access controls limiting DAG author privileges to essential operations only
• Monitor and audit all API traffic to the Airflow webserver during the migration period

# Uninstall Edge3 provider from Airflow 2
pip uninstall apache-airflow-providers-edge3

# Verify removal
pip list | grep edge3

# Check for any remaining Edge3 configurations in airflow.cfg
grep -i "edge" /path/to/airflow/airflow.cfg