IRONSMITHINTEL
HIGHCVSS8.8
|
Actively Exploited
|CISA KEV|CVE-2022-33891|Auth: low — authenticated user|Reboot: required|Manual only

Apache Spark Command Injection Vulnerability

Apache Spark contains a command injection vulnerability via Spark User Interface (UI) when Access Control Lists (ACLs) are enabled.

Published Jul 18, 2022 · Updated May 16, 2026
Why patchRisk explained in plain English
Worst-case scenarioIf unpatched

A remote attacker, with a low-privilege account, can achieve full data confidentiality loss, arbitrary modification of data, complete denial of service or system unavailability. Federal agencies are required to remediate by 2023-03-28 under CISA BOD 22-01.

How the attack worksNo clicks needed

This is a OS Command Injection (CWE-78) vulnerability in Apache Spark. 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. Exploitation requires remote network access, low attack complexity, a low-privilege authenticated account, and no user interaction required.

Am I affected?Quick check

Probably yes if any of these apply:

IT Security
Running spark: v ≤ 3.0.3, 3.1.1 ≤ v ≤ 3.1.2, 3.2.0 ≤ v ≤ 3.2.1
Real-world incidentsWhat we've seen

Active exploitation documented in the wild. Threat-research write-up: http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/168309/Apache-Spark-Unauthenticated-Command-Injection.html

How to patch

Manual remediation steps

Apply the Vendor Patch

This vulnerability is in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog — apply the vendor's security update as soon as possible.

CISA required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

References

    1
    Vendor advisory: https://lists.apache.org/thread/p847l3kopoo5bjtmxrcwk21xp6tjxqlc
    1
    NVD entry: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-33891
    1
    CISA KEV: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2022-33891
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