CVE record
CVE-2026-42359
Apache Airflow: Authenticated RCE via XCom PATCH endpoint — XComUpdateBody missing FORBIDDEN_XCOM_KEYS validator
A bug in Apache Airflow's XCom PATCH endpoint `PATCH /api/v2/xcomEntries/{key}` allowed an authenticated UI/API user with XCom write permission on a Dag to set XCom entries under reserved key names (e.g. `return_value`) that the matching POST endpoint already validated against `FORBIDDEN_XCOM_KEYS`. The endpoint also accepted serialized payload shapes the triggerer's deserializer treats as code; combined, this allowed RCE on the triggerer when the affected task next deferred. Affects deployments where untrusted users have XCom write permission on Dags that defer to the triggerer. This is a fix-bypass of CVE-2026-33858: PR #64148 added the `FORBIDDEN_XCOM_KEYS` validator only on the POST/set path; the PATCH path was not covered. Users who already upgraded for CVE-2026-33858 should additionally upgrade to `apache-airflow` 3.2.2 or later to cover the PATCH-path bypass.
CVE evidence
Known exploitation
Not listed in fetched KEV catalog
Absence from the fetched catalog does not establish that exploitation has not occurred.
Severity
high
CVSS 8.8 · CVSS_V3
Affected packages
1
Supported package records returned by OSV. Vendor and product names are not used to infer matches.
OSV package mapping
Affected open-source packages
| Package | Ecosystem | Fixed versions |
|---|---|---|
| apache-airflow | pypi | 3.2.2 |