CVE-2020-13927: Apache Airflow's Experimental API Authentication Bypass
Reference page built from the source records below, each shown as its source publishes it. Dataset version ref-1d71c382c916, updated 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z.
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
- Name
- Apache Airflow's Experimental API Authentication Bypass
- Vendor
- Apache
- Product
- Airflow's Experimental API
- Added to the catalog
- 2022-01-18
- Due date for US federal agencies
- 2022-07-18
- Weaknesses
- CWE-1188, CWE-306
- Catalog version
- 2026.10.30
The previous default setting for Airflow's Experimental API was to allow all API requests without authentication.
Required action (CISA)
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Ransomware use: CISA does not mark known use of this vulnerability in ransomware campaigns.
Links in CISA's notes
Read on 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z under licence cisa-kev-cc0@b0067899 from https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json
NVD analysis
- Status
- Analyzed
- Published
- 2020-11-10T16:15:11.807
- Last modified
- 2026-06-17T02:53:54.840
- Weaknesses
- CWE-306, CWE-1188, CWE-1056
The previous default setting for Airflow's Experimental API was to allow all API requests without authentication, but this poses security risks to users who miss this fact. From Airflow 1.10.11 the default has been changed to deny all requests by default and is documented at https://airflow.apache.org/docs/1.10.11/security.html#api-authentication. Note this change fixes it for new installs but existing users need to change their config to default `[api]auth_backend = airflow.api.auth.backend.deny_all` as mentioned in the Updating Guide: https://github.com/apache/airflow/blob/1.10.11/UPDATING.md#experimental-api-will-deny-all-request-by-default
| Metric | Score | Severity | Vector | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 9.8 | CRITICAL | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H | [email protected] (Primary) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 9.8 | CRITICAL | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 (Secondary) |
| CVSS 2.0 | 7.5 | HIGH | AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P | [email protected] (Primary) |
References
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162908/Apache-Airflow-1.10.10-Remote-Code-Execution.html (Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174764/Apache-Airflow-1.10.10-Remote-Code-Execution.html (Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r23a81b247aa346ff193670be565b2b8ea4b17ddbc7a35fc099c1aadd%40%3Cdev.airflow.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162908/Apache-Airflow-1.10.10-Remote-Code-Execution.html (Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174764/Apache-Airflow-1.10.10-Remote-Code-Execution.html (Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r23a81b247aa346ff193670be565b2b8ea4b17ddbc7a35fc099c1aadd%40%3Cdev.airflow.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-13927 (Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource)
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
Read on 2026-11-02T23:41:51.476Z under licence nvd-api-terms-of-use@ff2a5288 from https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?cveId=CVE-2020-13927
CVE record
- Assigner
- apache
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Published
- 2020-11-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Updated
- 2025-10-21T23:35:32.975Z
- Problem types
- Information Disclosure
The previous default setting for Airflow's Experimental API was to allow all API requests without authentication, but this poses security risks to users who miss this fact. From Airflow 1.10.11 the default has been changed to deny all requests by default and is documented at https://airflow.apache.org/docs/1.10.11/security.html#api-authentication. Note this change fixes it for new installs but existing users need to change their config to default `[api]auth_backend = airflow.api.auth.backend.deny_all` as mentioned in the Updating Guide: https://github.com/apache/airflow/blob/1.10.11/UPDATING.md#experimental-api-will-deny-all-request-by-default
References
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r23a81b247aa346ff193670be565b2b8ea4b17ddbc7a35fc099c1aadd%40%3Cdev.airflow.apache.org%3E
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162908/Apache-Airflow-1.10.10-Remote-Code-Execution.html
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174764/Apache-Airflow-1.10.10-Remote-Code-Execution.html
Read on 2026-11-03T01:03:26.982Z under licence cve-terms-of-use@81bfa2f3 from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/main/cves/2020/13xxx/CVE-2020-13927.json
Also known as / affected packages
GHSA-hhx9-p69v-cx2j
Also known as: CVE-2020-13927. OSV.dev record, GitHub advisory.
- PyPI apache-airflow: introduced 0, fixed 1.10.11
Read on 2026-11-03T00:50:19.807Z under licence ghsa-cc-by-4.0@9e5f1b3c from https://api.osv.dev/v1/vulns/GHSA-hhx9-p69v-cx2j
Defensive techniques (MITRE D3FEND)
D3FEND maps these defensive techniques to the weakness (CWE) that NVD lists for this CVE, through the digital artifacts the weakness affects. D3FEND does not say they stop this vulnerability.
CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function
- Model: Asset Vulnerability Enumeration (acts on Software)
- Isolate: Application-based Process Isolation (acts on Subroutine)
- Harden: Trusted Library (acts on Subroutine)
- Harden: Software Update (acts on Software)
- Restore: Restore Software (acts on Software)
- Model: Software Inventory (acts on Software)
- Harden: Variable Initialization (acts on Subroutine)
- Harden: Domain Logic Validation (acts on Subroutine)
- Harden: Credential Scrubbing (acts on Subroutine)
D3FEND ontology version 1.6.0.
Read on 2026-11-02T23:55:55.098Z under licence d3fend-terms-of-use@f98cbc7e from https://d3fend.mitre.org/api/weakness/cwe/CWE-306.json
CWE-1056: Invokable Control Element with Variadic Parameters
D3FEND lists no defensive technique for this weakness.
D3FEND ontology version 1.6.0.
Read on 2026-11-03T00:03:27.246Z under licence d3fend-terms-of-use@f98cbc7e from https://d3fend.mitre.org/api/weakness/cwe/CWE-1056.json
CWE-1188
D3FEND lists no defensive technique for this weakness.
D3FEND ontology version 1.6.0.
Read on 2026-11-03T00:03:28.992Z under licence d3fend-terms-of-use@f98cbc7e from https://d3fend.mitre.org/api/weakness/cwe/CWE-1188.json
MITRE D3FEND™ knowledge graph. © 2025 The MITRE Corporation.
"The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) hereby grants you a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use D3FEND for research, development, and commercial purposes. Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy." Terms: https://d3fend.mitre.org/tou/
Sources and licences
CISA
Source: CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, version 2026.10.30, CC0 1.0. Use of this data does not imply endorsement by CISA or DHS.
National Vulnerability Database (NIST)
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
NVD API Terms of Use (NIST publications in the public domain, 17 U.S.C. 105)
CVE Program, The MITRE Corporation
Copyright © 1999-2026, The MITRE Corporation. CVE is a trademark and the CVE logo is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation. CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE™). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.
GitHub Advisory Database via OSV.dev
GHSA-hhx9-p69v-cx2j: GitHub Advisory Database, https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-hhx9-p69v-cx2j. Licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), provided as is, without warranties. Retrieved via OSV.dev (https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-hhx9-p69v-cx2j), which enriches records; fields selected and reformatted by ransomware-tracker.com.
MITRE D3FEND
MITRE D3FEND™ knowledge graph. © 2025 The MITRE Corporation.
"The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) hereby grants you a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use D3FEND for research, development, and commercial purposes. Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy." Terms: https://d3fend.mitre.org/tou/MITRE D3FEND Terms of Use (site + knowledge graph); source repo MIT
Cite this page
Dragons Eye Ransomware Tracker, "CVE-2020-13927: Apache Airflow's Experimental API Authentication Bypass",
entity page, dataset version ref-1d71c382c916, updated 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/cve/CVE-2020-13927 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, version 2026.10.30.
Underlying source: National Vulnerability Database (NIST), CVE API 2.0, record last modified 2026-06-17T02:53:54.840.
Underlying source: CVE List (CVE Program, The MITRE Corporation), record updated 2025-10-21T23:35:32.975Z.
Underlying source: GitHub Advisory Database, GHSA-hhx9-p69v-cx2j, via OSV.dev, modified 2025-10-22T19:42:35.160234Z.
Underlying source: MITRE D3FEND, ontology version 1.6.0.
Pages change. The dataset version identifies the data, but no archive of old versions is kept, so this citation cannot be replayed later.