Security research · CVE-2026-49267
Apache Airflow's EmailOperator and the underlying helpers established SMTP STARTTLS connections without verifying the remote certificate when the deployment used witho…
Published Jun 1, 2026 · corrected/updated Jul 21, 2026 · apache airflow · evidence confidence medium
Apache Airflow's EmailOperator and the underlying helpers established SMTP STARTTLS connections without verifying the remote certificate when the deployment used without . An attacker positioned between the worker and the configured SMTP server (network MITM — typical hostile-network attack-surface for environments where the SMTP relay sits outside the worker's trust boundary) could present a self-signed certificate, have the worker complete the STARTTLS handshake silently, and capture the SMTP AUTH credentials and message contents the worker forwarded. This CVE covers the **core apache-airflow side** of the same root cause already covered for the SMTP provider by (published 2026-04-27, covering ). Users who already applied the SMTP-provider fix from CVE-2026-41016 should additionally upgrade to 3.2.2 or later to cover the core-side path through . Affects deployments configured with and where the SMTP relay is reachable across a less-trusted network segment than the worker. Users are advised to upgrade to 3.2.2 or later.
Grounded briefings
Catalog interpretations for three audiences. Each brief cites ingested metadata and the original advisories below. They are not independent research and they do not invent exploit steps.
Executive
CVE-2026-49267 is a medium public vulnerability record for apache airflow. It is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited catalog. Check the linked vendor or CERT advisories for patch status. This summary is a catalog interpretation of the ingested metadata and cites the original advisories below.
System administrator
Identify whether apache airflow is in your estate, then compare installed versions with the affected ranges. Affected packages or ranges on record: apache/airflow. Check the linked vendor or CERT advisories for patch status. Prefer the vendor or distribution advisory linked in Sources before changing production systems. This is a catalog interpretation, not a runbook.
Security analyst
Signals on file: CVSS 5.9. It is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited catalog. Weakness classes: CWE-295. Sources contributing to this record: nvd. Public exploit references, when present, are outbound links only and are not proof of active exploitation. This is a catalog interpretation of stored metadata.
Exploitation and remediation
Exploitation evidence
Not listed as known exploited in CISA KEV. Not in CISA KEV or VulnCheck KEV.
Patch and remediation
No required-action text is stored yet. Use the vendor or CERT links in Sources for patch availability.
Safe detection guidance
Compare installed versions with the affected ranges below and verify the advisory from the original publisher. This site stores metadata and outbound links only; it does not ship exploit code or proof-of-concept payloads.
Code
The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.
Timeline
Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.
Jun 1, 2026 · NIST NVD
Detected
Apache Airflow's EmailOperator and the underlying helpers established SMTP STARTTLS connections without verifying the remote certificate when the deployment used without . An attacker positioned between the worker and the configured SMTP server (network MITM — typical hostile-network attack-surface for environments where the SMTP relay sits outside the worker's trust boundary) could present a self
Jul 21, 2026 · NIST NVD
Updated
Apache Airflow's EmailOperator and the underlying helpers established SMTP STARTTLS connections without verifying the remote certificate when the deployment used without . An attacker positioned between the worker and the configured SMTP server (network MITM — typical hostile-network attack-surface for environments where the SMTP relay sits outside the worker's trust boundary) could present a self
Affected
- cpe apache/airflowversion unspecified
Sources
- NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2026-49267
Apache Airflow's EmailOperator and the underlying helpers established SMTP STARTTLS connections without verifying the remote certificate when the deployment used without . An attacker positioned between the work
nvd.nist.gov