The example_dag_decorator example DAG in Apache Airflow accepts an HTTP‑fetched IP address and uses Python's ipaddress module to validate it. The module incorrectly accepts IPv6 zone identifiers that can contain arbitrary characters. When the validated address is placed directly into a shell command and the DAG is executed, the injected characters cause shell commands to run on the worker. Consequently, an attacker who can trigger this DAG with a custom url parameter can execute arbitrary commands, resulting in remote code execution on the Airflow worker.

The flaw affects installations of Apache Airflow that enable example DAGs (load_examples = True). Any version of Airflow containing the example_dag_decorator example DAG is vulnerable until the fix is deployed. Upgrading to apache‑airflow 3.4.0 or later incorporates the patch, while older releases remain affected.

The vulnerability allows remote execution by supplying a crafted URL parameter when a DAG is triggered. Although no EPSS score is available and it is not listed in CISA’s KEV catalog, the wide availability of example DAGs and the fact that the exploit requires only a simple HTTP request make the risk significant for deployments that permit untrusted actors to trigger DAGs. The CWEmodule indicates an unsafe OS command injection (CWE‑78).