Technical impact
The Apache Airflow Git provider defaults to setting StrictHostKeyChecking=no, which disables host‑key verification for all git‑over‑SSH operations. This omission means that an attacker who can observe or manipulate the traffic between an Airflow worker and its remote Git server can perform a man‑in‑the‑Middle attack. Such a malicious actor can capture the SSH deploy key used by Airflow to authenticate with the repository or inject tampered code into the artifacts that Airflow subsequently pulls and executes, thereby compromising confidentiality and integrity of the platform.
Affected Systems
Versions of the Apache Airflow Git provider older than 0.4.1 are affected. The vulnerability manifests when the Git DAG bundle or the Git provider is configured to clone repositories over SSH using a deploy key. The error stems from the default hint that bypasses SSH host‑key verification, and any environment that permits Airflow workers to reach external Git hosts, especially those hosting shared or public repositories, is potentially exposed.
Risk and Exploitability
An attacker can hijack the SSH session without authentication, allowing them to eavesdrop on or modify the data stream. Because the condition of requiring a weak network path is simple—any man‑in‑the‑Middle between worker and Git server—risk is high if the network is not tightly controlled. The vulnerability carries a CVSS score of 8.1, indicating high severity, while an EPSS score of less than 1 % suggests a low current exploitation probability. It is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog, but since it relates to improper validation of trusted external credentials (CWE‑322), administrators should treat it with priority.
