CVE-2025-69219 in Airflow
Summary
by MITRE • 03/09/2026
A user with access to the DB could craft a database entry that would result in executing code on Triggerer - which gives anyone who have access to DB the same permissions as Dag Author. Since direct DB access is not usual and recommended for Airflow, the likelihood of it making any damage is low.
You should upgrade to version 6.0.0 of the provider to avoid even that risk.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/15/2026
CVE-2025-69219 represents a critical privilege escalation vulnerability within Apache Airflow's database triggerer component that demonstrates a dangerous flaw in the system's access control mechanisms. This vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the database entry processing pipeline, allowing an authenticated database user to inject malicious payloads that execute with elevated privileges. The flaw specifically impacts the triggerer service which operates with the same permissions as a DAG author, creating a direct path for database access to escalate to full administrative capabilities within the workflow orchestration platform.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of user-supplied data within database operations that feed into the triggerer service. When a database user crafts a malicious entry, the system fails to properly sanitize or validate the input before processing it through the triggerer mechanism, resulting in arbitrary code execution. This represents a classic command injection vulnerability categorized under CWE-77 and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and script injection. The vulnerability exists because the system does not properly separate the database access layer from the execution layer, creating a direct attack surface where database privileges can be leveraged to gain workflow author privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass potential system compromise and data exfiltration capabilities. An attacker with database access could manipulate workflow definitions, create backdoor entries, or execute arbitrary commands on the triggerer service, effectively bypassing the intended security boundaries between database users and workflow authors. This creates a significant risk for organizations that maintain database access for operational purposes but do not intend to grant workflow author privileges. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning because it operates silently within the existing access control framework, making detection difficult and potentially allowing prolonged unauthorized access to workflow orchestration capabilities.
Organizations should immediately implement the recommended upgrade to version 6.0.0 of the provider to address this vulnerability, as this represents the most effective mitigation strategy. The upgrade process should include thorough testing of existing database entry points and triggerer configurations to ensure proper sanitization of inputs. Security teams should also implement monitoring for unusual database activity patterns and establish network segmentation between database systems and triggerer services where possible. Additional mitigations include implementing database user role separation, restricting direct database access to minimal necessary personnel, and establishing automated scanning for malicious database entries. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining current security patches and demonstrates the critical need for proper input validation in all database interaction points within workflow orchestration systems. This issue underscores the broader security principle that database access should never directly translate to application-level administrative privileges without proper validation and access control enforcement.