CVE-2020-11981

Name: CVE-2020-11981
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2020-07-17T00:15:10.4+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

CRITICALCVSS 9.8/10EPSS 33.98%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2020-11981 is a critical-severity vulnerability rated 9.8/10 on the CVSS scale. An issue was found in Apache Airflow versions 1.10.10 and below. When using CeleryExecutor, if an attacker can connect to the broker (Redis, RabbitMQ) directly, it is possible to inject commands, resulting in the celery worker running arbitrary commands.. EPSS estimates a 33.98% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

An issue was found in Apache Airflow versions 1.10.10 and below. When using CeleryExecutor, if an attacker can connect to the broker (Redis, RabbitMQ) directly, it is possible to inject commands, resulting in the celery worker running arbitrary commands.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

9.8/10

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

EPSS Probability

33.98%

98.2th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-78

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Apache	Airflow	<= 1.10.10

References

https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r7255cf0be3566f23a768e2a04b40fb09e52fcd1872695428ba9afe91%40%3Cusers.airflow.apache.org%3EMailing List, Vendor Advisory
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r7255cf0be3566f23a768e2a04b40fb09e52fcd1872695428ba9afe91%40%3Cusers.airflow.apache.org%3EMailing List, Vendor Advisory

Timeline

Published: Jul 17, 2020
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-11981?

How severe is CVE-2020-11981?

CVE-2020-11981 has a CVSS score of 9.8/10 (CRITICAL severity). The EPSS model estimates a 33.98% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2020-11981?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2020-11981?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST