CVE-2026-49486 Apache Software Foundation CVE debrief

Who should care

Defenders and administrators using Apache Airflow FTP provider should assess exposure and upgrade to 3.15.1 or later. Additionally, security teams and vulnerability management professionals should review the affected deployments and prioritize remediation efforts to prevent potential data breaches. Operators and platform administrators must also verify FTPS connections and ensure proper configuration to protect against data exposure.

Why it matters

CVE-2026-49486 exposes file contents and credentials-in-transit due to improper FTPS configuration in Apache Airflow FTP provider.

• File contents and credentials-in-transit are exposed to a network attacker
• Verify FTPS connections are properly configured to encrypt the data channel
• Upgrade apache-airflow-providers-ftp to 3.15.1 or later to encrypt the data channel

Technical summary

The Apache Airflow FTP provider's FTPSHook.get_conn() created an ftplib.FTP_TLS connection but never called prot_p(), exposing file contents and credentials-in-transit to a network attacker. This vulnerability arises from the improper configuration of the FTPS connection, which fails to encrypt the data channel. As a result, any deployment using FTPSHook or FTPSFileTransmitOperator to move files over FTPS is at risk of exposing sensitive information. To address this issue, it is crucial to upgrade apache-airflow-providers-ftp to version 3.15.1 or later, which properly encrypts the data channel by issuing the 'PROT P' command.

Defensive priority

Defenders should prioritize upgrading apache-airflow-providers-ftp to 3.15.1 or later to encrypt the data channel.

Recommended defensive actions

• Upgrade apache-airflow-providers-ftp to 3.15.1 or later
• Review and update FTPSHook and FTPSFileTransmitOperator usage
• Verify FTPS connections are properly configured
• Confirm whether affected product deployments exist in managed environments and assign an owner for follow-up
• Review the supplied official advisory or CVE record to validate affected scope, severity, and vendor guidance
• Plan vendor-supported updates or mitigations through normal change control where exposure is confirmed
• technicalSummary

Evidence notes

The CVE record and NVD entry provide details on the vulnerability, and the Apache Airflow project has released a patch. The vulnerability was publicly disclosed on 2026-06-26, and the Apache Airflow FTP provider has been updated to version 3.15.1, which addresses this issue by properly encrypting the data channel. Users of affected versions should verify their deployments and upgrade to the patched version to prevent potential data exposure.

Sources and references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.