CVE-2022-33891

The Apache Spark UI offers the possibility to enable ACLs via the configuration option spark.acls.enable. With an authentication filter, this checks whether a user has access permissions to view or modify the application. If ACLs are enabled, a code path in HttpSecurityFilter can allow someone to perform impersonation by providing an arbitrary user name. A malicious user might then be able to reach a permission check function that will ultimately build a Unix shell command based on their input, and execute it. This will result in arbitrary shell command execution as the user Spark is currently running as. This affects Apache Spark versions 3.0.3 and earlier, versions 3.1.1 to 3.1.2, and versions 3.2.0 to 3.2.1.

A previous version of this advisory incorrectly stated that version 3.1.3 was not vulnerable. Per GHSA-59hw-j9g6-mfg3, version 3.1.3 is vulnerable and vulnerable version ranges in this advisory have been changed to reflect the correct information.

Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host. Typical impact: code execution in the application's environment.

CVE-2022-33891 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). The vector is network-reachable, 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 (3.2.2, 3.1.3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2022-33891? CVE-2022-33891 is a high-severity OS command injection vulnerability in org.apache.spark:spark-parent_2.12 (maven), affecting versions <= 3.0.3. It is fixed in 3.2.2, 3.1.3. Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host.
2. How severe is CVE-2022-33891? CVE-2022-33891 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). 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.
3. Which packages are affected by CVE-2022-33891?
   • org.apache.spark:spark-parent_2.12 (maven) (versions <= 3.0.3)
   • pyspark (pip) (versions >= 0, < 3.1.3)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2022-33891? Yes. CVE-2022-33891 is fixed in 3.2.2, 3.1.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2022-33891 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-33891 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
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2022-33891 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.
7. How do I fix CVE-2022-33891?
   • Upgrade org.apache.spark:spark-parent_2.12 to 3.2.2 or later
   • Upgrade pyspark to 3.1.3 or later
   • Upgrade pyspark to 3.2.2 or later

Other vulnerabilities in org.apache.spark:spark-parent_2.12