---
id: "CVE-2025-54550"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2025-54550", "GHSA-q2hg-643c-gw8h"]
title: "Withdrawn Advisory: Apache Airflow: RCE by race condition in example_xcom dag"
severity: "high"
cvss: 8.1
epss: 0.00579
exploited: false
status: "withdrawn"
category: "package"
products: [{"name": "apache-airflow", "fixed": ["3.2.0"], "affected": "< 3.2.0", "ecosystem": "pypi"}, {"name": "apache airflow", "fixed": ["3.2.0"], "affected": "< 3.2.0", "ecosystem": "vendor"}]
ecosystems: ["pypi", "vendor"]
tags: ["apache-airflow", "cwe-94", "data-pipelines", "package", "python"]
not_affected_if: ["example-dags-disabled", "no-copied-example-pattern"]
published_at: "2026-04-15T04:17:32+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-11-03T17:41:47+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-11-03T17:52:24+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "ghsa", "url": "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-q2hg-643c-gw8h", "first_seen_at": "2026-11-03T17:41:47+00:00"}, {"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-54550", "first_seen_at": "2026-11-03T17:52:24+00:00"}]
---

# Withdrawn Advisory: Apache Airflow: RCE by race condition in example_xcom dag

The withdrawn advisory says the example_xcom DAG in Airflow documentation read XCom values unsafely, so a UI user who could modify XComs could run arbitrary code on the worker. The advisory states the Airflow release itself is not affected, only code copied from the example.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## Affected

- pypi:apache-airflow affected < 3.2.0 fixed 3.2.0
- vendor:apache airflow affected < 3.2.0 fixed 3.2.0

## How to check

- Check whether `example_xcom` or copies of its pattern exist in your DAG folder.
- Check whether example DAGs are enabled in your deployment (unknown from the sources).

## Fix

- Apache Airflow: fixed in `3.2.0` per the affected range; the sources say the documentation example was improved in 3.2.0.
- Users who copied the pattern: adjust their own implementation (sources give no exact steps).

## Timeline

- 2026-11-03T17:41:47+00:00 ghsa https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-q2hg-643c-gw8h
- 2026-11-03T17:52:24+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-54550

## Documents

- [advisory] Vendor advisory: lists.apache.org https://lists.apache.org/thread/3mf4cfx070ofsnf9qy0s2v5gqb5sc2g1
- [advisory] Third-party advisory: www.openwall.com http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/04/15/1
- [fix] Patch: github.com https://github.com/apache/airflow/pull/63200
- [fix] Patch: github.com https://github.com/apache/airflow/commit/5350cc2791b780a8ce721e565c235921a63565c1
- [fix] Patch: github.com https://github.com/apache/airflow/commit/900e5e222f8ed842918134572fd6a1c3c176cf0b

## From the sources

### Withdrawn Advisory
This advisory has been withdrawn because it only affects example implementations, not Airflow releases on PyPI. This link is maintained to preserve external references.

### Original Description
The example example_xcom that was included in airflow documentation implemented unsafe pattern of reading value
from xcom in the way that could be exploited to allow UI user who had access to modify XComs to perform arbitrary
execution of code on the worker. Since the UI users are already highly trusted, this is a Low severity vulnerability.

It does not affect Airflow release - example_dags are not supposed to be enabled in production environment, however
users following the example could replicate the bad pattern. Documentation of Airflow 3.2.0 contains version of
the example with improved resiliance for that case.

Users who followed that pattern are advised to adjust their implementations accordingly.

---

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