Which products and versions are affected by CVE-2020-13927?

Affected: Airflow (Apache); Apache Airflow (pypi) versions >= Apache Airflow <1.10.11. The full list is in the CVE brief.

Is CVE-2020-13927 being exploited in the wild?

It is exploited in the wild, listed in CISA KEV, Industry KEV feed, CIRCL KEV, ENISA EUVD since Jan 18, 2022.

Is CVE-2020-13927 in the CISA KEV catalog?

Yes. It was added on Jan 18, 2022 with a federal remediation due date of Jul 18, 2022.

Is there a public exploit for CVE-2020-13927?

Public exploit code is available.

Is there a fix for CVE-2020-13927?

Fixed versions are available, including Airflow 1.10.11, Apache Airflow 1.10.11.

How urgently should CVE-2020-13927 be patched?

Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is listed as exploited in the wild.

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Vulnerability Intelligence

CVE-2020-13927

Q: What is CVE-2020-13927?

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.

Q: Is CVE-2020-13927 being exploited in the wild?

It is exploited in the wild, listed in CISA KEV, Industry KEV feed, CIRCL KEV, ENISA EUVD since Jan 18, 2022.

Q: Is CVE-2020-13927 in the CISA KEV catalog?

Yes. It was added on Jan 18, 2022 with a federal remediation due date of Jul 18, 2022.

Q: Is there a public exploit for CVE-2020-13927?

Public exploit code is available.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2020-13927?

Fixed versions are available, including Airflow 1.10.11, Apache Airflow 1.10.11.

Q: How urgently should CVE-2020-13927 be patched?

Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is listed as exploited in the wild.

CriticalExploitedPublic exploit

Authentication bypass in Apache Airflow

Published Apr 30, 2021 · Updated Sep 8, 2026 · Also known as BIT-airflow-2020-13927, GHSA-hhx9-p69v-cx2j, PYSEC-2020-18

Key Facts

Patch immediately

CVE-2020-13927 is a critical-severity vulnerability (CVSS 9.3 v4) affecting Airflow (Apache), Apache Airflow (pypi).
It is exploited in the wild, listed in CISA KEV, Industry KEV feed, CIRCL KEV, ENISA EUVD since Jan 18, 2022. Public exploit code is available.
EPSS estimates a 100% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
Fixed versions are available, including Airflow 1.10.11, Apache Airflow 1.10.11.
Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is listed as exploited in the wild.

CVSS v4

9.3

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:A

EPSS (30-day exploit likelihood)

100%

Higher than 99.9% of all scored CVEs

Exploited in the wild

Yes

4 catalog listings

Public exploit code

Available

Proof-of-concept or weaponized module

Get the full CVE-2020-13927 brief as a PDF

Every affected product and fixed release, exploitation status and a first 24 hours response checklist, emailed within minutes.

Description

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

Known-Exploited Catalog Listings

Catalog	Added	Remediation due	Ransomware use
CISA KEV	Jan 18, 2022	Jul 18, 2022	Not reported
Industry KEV feed	Jan 18, 2022	Jul 18, 2022	Not reported
CIRCL KEV	Jan 18, 2022	Jul 18, 2022	Not reported
ENISA EUVD	Jan 18, 2022	n/a	Not reported

Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Affected Products

4 affected entries in total

Product	Affected versions	Fixed in
AirflowApache	See advisory	1.10.11
Apache Airflowpypi	>= Apache Airflow <1.10.11	1.10.11

Patched Releases

Airflow

1.10.11

Apache Airflow

1.10.11

Timeline

Publicly disclosed
Apr 30, 2021
Added to CISA KEV
Jan 18, 2022
Added to Industry KEV feed
Jan 18, 2022
Added to CIRCL KEV
Jan 18, 2022
Added to ENISA EUVD
Jan 18, 2022
Last updated
Sep 8, 2026

Weakness Type

CWE-287 Improper Authentication
CWE-306 Missing Authentication for Critical Function
CWE-1056 Invokable Control Element with Variadic Parameters
CWE-1188 Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default

References

advisoryhttps://airflow.apache.org/
advisoryhttps://airflow.apache.org/docs/apache-airflow/stable/installation.html
advisoryhttps://cxsecurity.com/issue/WLB-2021060019
advisoryGHSA advisory
advisoryhttps://github.com/pberba/CVE-2020-11978

15 more references in the full CVE brief

FAQ

Common Questions.

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.
Affected: Airflow (Apache); Apache Airflow (pypi) versions >= Apache Airflow <1.10.11. The full list is in the CVE brief.
It is exploited in the wild, listed in CISA KEV, Industry KEV feed, CIRCL KEV, ENISA EUVD since Jan 18, 2022.
Yes. It was added on Jan 18, 2022 with a federal remediation due date of Jul 18, 2022.
Public exploit code is available.
Fixed versions are available, including Airflow 1.10.11, Apache Airflow 1.10.11.
Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is listed as exploited in the wild.

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