Description
Apache Airflow Apache Kafka provider versions 1.15.0 before 2.0.0 resolve dotted-path strings found in a Kafka connection's `extra` field into Python callables via `import_string`, with no allowlist, and hand them to the confluent-kafka client which invokes them. Deployments that have enabled the Kafka event producer — `dag_run_events_enabled` or `task_instance_events_enabled`, both disabled by default — build that client inside the scheduler process, so a user whose only privilege is editing Airflow connections gains arbitrary code execution in the control plane; the Airflow security model limits connection-configuration users to code execution on workers, not the scheduler. Deployments using Google Managed Kafka are not affected, because that code path overwrites any user-supplied `oauth_cb`; plain brokers and Amazon MSK are exposed. Users are recommended to upgrade to apache-airflow-providers-apache-kafka 2.0.0 or later, which adds an allowlist configuration option for connection-string callbacks.
Affected products
apache: apache-airflow-providers-apache-kafka
References4
- github.com/apache/airflow/pull/72208 PatchVendor Advisory
- lists.apache.org/thread/jl4gpok02313yh3rvtvj8qbo11c6zpr2 Mailing ListVendor Advisory
- lists.apache.org/thread/jl4gpok02313yh3rvtvj8qbo11c6zpr2?users@… Mailing ListVendor Advisory
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/09/15/15 Mailing ListVendor Advisory
Metrics
- CVSS 3.1
-
8.8
HIGH
Score source: CNA
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - EPSS — exploit probability
- 1% percentile: 68 · as of 7 November 2026
- CWE
- CWE-470
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