What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-38540?

CVE-2021-38540 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 80.9%.

Is there a public PoC exploit available for CVE-2021-38540?

Yes, a public proof-of-concept exploit is available for CVE-2021-38540. Prioritise patching immediately. EPSS: 80.9%.

Is there a patch available for CVE-2021-38540?

Yes, a patch is available for CVE-2021-38540. Update the affected software to the latest version immediately.

Airflow CVE-2021-38540

CRITICAL

Improper Privilege Management (CWE-269)

2021-09-09 security@apache.org

RCE Apache Privilege Escalation Information Disclosure Denial Of Service Airflow

9.8

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY

9.8 CRITICAL

AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

CVE Published

Sep 09, 2021 - 15:15 nvd

CRITICAL 9.8

Blast Radius

ecosystem impact

† from your stack dependencies † transitive graph · vuln.today resolves 4-path depth

4 pypi packages depend on apache-airflow (4 direct, 0 indirect)

Ecosystem-wide dependent count for version 2.0.0.

DescriptionNVD

The variable import endpoint was not protected by authentication in Airflow >=2.0.0, <2.1.3. This allowed unauthenticated users to hit that endpoint to add/modify Airflow variables used in DAGs, potentially resulting in a denial of service, information disclosure or remote code execution. This issue affects Apache Airflow >=2.0.0, <2.1.3.

AnalysisAI

The variable import endpoint was not protected by authentication in Airflow >=2.0.0, <2.1.3. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.

Technical ContextAI

This vulnerability is classified as Improper Privilege Management (CWE-269), which allows attackers to escalate privileges to gain unauthorized elevated access. The variable import endpoint was not protected by authentication in Airflow >=2.0.0, <2.1.3. This allowed unauthenticated users to hit that endpoint to add/modify Airflow variables used in DAGs, potentially resulting in a denial of service, information disclosure or remote code execution.0.0, <2.1.3. Affected products include: Apache Airflow.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Apply principle of least privilege, validate privilege transitions, implement proper role separation.