CVE-2022-41131 is a high-severity OS command injection vulnerability found in the Apache Airflow Hive Provider component maintained by the Apache Software Foundation. This vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of special elements used in operating system commands (CWE-78), allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary OS commands within the context of a task execution. Specifically, the flaw exists in versions of the Hive Provider prior to 4.1.0 and affects Apache Airflow versions prior to 2.3.0 when the vulnerable Hive Provider is installed. Notably, the Hive Provider 4.1.0 can only be installed on Airflow 2.3.0 or later, so systems running older Airflow versions with the Hive Provider installed remain vulnerable. Exploitation does not require user interaction but does require low-level privileges (limited privileges) and local access to the task execution environment. Importantly, the attacker does not need write access to Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) files, which are typically used to define workflows in Airflow, lowering the bar for exploitation. The vulnerability allows an attacker to inject malicious commands that the system executes, potentially leading to full compromise of the Airflow environment, including confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.8, reflecting high severity, with vector metrics indicating local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), low privileges required (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). There are no known exploits in the wild as of the published date (November 22, 2022), but the vulnerability is publicly disclosed and patched in Hive Provider 4.1.0. Mitigation requires upgrading both Apache Airflow to version 2.3.0 or later and the Hive Provider to version 4.1.0 or higher, as the Hive Provider upgrade is not automatically included with Airflow upgrades. This vulnerability is critical for organizations using Apache Airflow with Hive Provider integrations, especially in data engineering and ETL pipelines involving Hive data warehouses.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-41131 can be significant, particularly for enterprises relying on Apache Airflow for orchestrating complex data workflows involving Hive data sources. Successful exploitation can lead to arbitrary command execution within the Airflow task environment, potentially allowing attackers to access sensitive data, manipulate workflow execution, disrupt business-critical data pipelines, or pivot to other internal systems. This can result in data breaches, operational downtime, and loss of data integrity, which are especially critical in sectors such as finance, healthcare, telecommunications, and government agencies prevalent across Europe. Given the widespread adoption of Apache Airflow in cloud and on-premises data infrastructure, the vulnerability poses a risk to organizations managing large-scale data processing and analytics. The requirement for local access and low privileges means that insider threats or attackers who have gained limited footholds in the network could escalate their impact. The absence of user interaction requirements further increases the risk of automated exploitation in compromised environments. Additionally, disruption of data workflows can affect compliance with European data protection regulations such as GDPR, potentially leading to regulatory penalties and reputational damage.

1. Upgrade Strategy: Immediately upgrade Apache Airflow to version 2.3.0 or later and manually upgrade the Hive Provider to version 4.1.0 or higher. Since the Hive Provider upgrade is not bundled with Airflow upgrades, verify the installed Hive Provider version explicitly. 2. Access Controls: Restrict access to Airflow task execution environments to trusted personnel only. Implement strict role-based access controls (RBAC) to limit who can deploy or trigger tasks, minimizing the risk of local exploitation. 3. Environment Hardening: Run Airflow tasks with the least privilege principle, using dedicated service accounts with minimal permissions. Avoid running Airflow components as root or highly privileged users. 4. Monitoring and Detection: Implement monitoring for unusual command execution patterns or unexpected process spawning within Airflow task environments. Use host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) and log analysis to detect potential exploitation attempts. 5. Network Segmentation: Isolate Airflow infrastructure from critical production systems and sensitive data stores to limit lateral movement in case of compromise. 6. Patch Management: Establish a process to track and apply updates for Airflow providers and dependencies promptly. 7. Incident Response Preparedness: Prepare and test incident response plans specific to Airflow environments, including containment and recovery procedures for command injection incidents. 8. Configuration Review: Audit Airflow DAGs and provider configurations to ensure no unsafe command constructions or injection vectors exist beyond this vulnerability.