CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-40861

Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')

Published: Jun 01, 2026 | Modified: Jun 02, 2026
CVSS 3.x
N/A
Source:
NVD
CVSS 2.x
RedHat/V2
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu
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A Dag author could either (a) create a symlink under their tasks log directory pointing to an arbitrary file readable by the API server process (read-path attack — e.g. /etc/passwd or airflow.cfg) or (b) supply a task_id containing .. sequences accepted by the Task SDKs KEY_REGEX (write-path attack), and in both cases the FileTaskHandler resolves the log path outside the configured base_log_folder, leaking or overwriting arbitrary files. Only affects deployments where the worker log folder is shared with the API server. Users are advised to upgrade to apache-airflow 3.2.2 or later. As a defense-in-depth mitigation, deploy the worker and API server with separate log volumes so that worker-controlled paths cannot reach the API servers filesystem.

Weakness

The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.

Affected Software

NameVendorStart VersionEnd Version
AirflowApache*3.2.2 (excluding)

Potential Mitigations

  • Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system.
  • Denying access to a file can prevent an attacker from replacing that file with a link to a sensitive file. Ensure good compartmentalization in the system to provide protected areas that can be trusted.

References