Summary
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') vulnerability in Apache Airflow Spark Provider, Apache Airflow allows an attacker to read arbtrary files in the task execution context, without write access to DAG files. This issue affects Spark Provider versions prior to 4.0.0. It also impacts any Apache Airflow versions prior to 2.3.0 in case Spark Provider is installed (Spark Provider 4.0.0 can only be installed for Airflow 2.3.0+). Note that you need to manually install the Spark Provider version 4.0.0 in order to get rid of the vulnerability on top of Airflow 2.3.0+ version that has lower version of the Spark Provider installed).
Impact
Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host. Typical impact: code execution in the application's environment.
CVE-2022-40954 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.3.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2022-40954? CVE-2022-40954 is a medium-severity OS command injection vulnerability in apache-airflow (pip), affecting versions < 2.3.0. It is fixed in 2.3.0. Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host.
- How severe is CVE-2022-40954? CVE-2022-40954 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of apache-airflow are affected by CVE-2022-40954? apache-airflow (pip) versions < 2.3.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2022-40954? Yes. CVE-2022-40954 is fixed in 2.3.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2022-40954 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-40954 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2022-40954 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2022-40954? Upgrade
apache-airflowto 2.3.0 or later.