In Apache Spark 2.4.5 and earlier, a standalone resource manager's master may be configured to require authentication (spark.authenticate) via a shared secret. When enabled, however, a specially-craft
In Apache Spark 2.4.5 and earlier, a standalone resource manager's master may be configured to require authentication (spark.authenticate) via a shared secret. When enabled, however, a specially-crafted RPC to the master can succeed in starting an application's resources on the Spark cluster, even without the shared key. This can be leveraged to execute shell commands on the host machine. This does not affect Spark clusters using other resource managers (YARN, Mesos, etc).
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.spark:spark-parent_2.11 | < 2.4.6 | 2.4.6 |
| Python (PyPI) | pyspark | < 2.4.6 | 2.4.6 |
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-9480
- https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/pyspark/PYSEC-2020-95.yaml
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r03ad9fe7c07d6039fba9f2152d345274473cb0af3d8a4794a6645f4b@%3Cuser.spark.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ra0e62a18ad080c4ce6df5e0202a27eaada75222761efc3f7238b5a3b@%3Ccommits.doris.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rb3956440747e41940d552d377d50b144b60085e7ff727adb0e575d8d@%3Ccommits.submarine.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ree9e87aae81852330290a478692e36ea6db47a52a694545c7d66e3e2@%3Cdev.spark.apache.org%3E
- https://spark.apache.org/security.html#CVE-2020-9480
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuApr2021.html
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-wgx7-jwwm-cgjv
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-287, CWE-306- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven), Python (PyPI)
- Package
org.apache.spark:spark-parent_2.11, pyspark- Disclosed
- 23.06.2020
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 12:20
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-wgx7-jwwm-cgjv - CC BY 4.0
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2020-95 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: pyspark
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Python (PyPI)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 12
- First → latest
- 09.2017 09.2026
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 1
Severity breakdown
- Critical 2
- High 5
- Medium 5
Disclosures per year
- 2017: 1
- 2018: 1
- 2019: 2
- 2020: 1
- 2021: 0
- 2022: 3
- 2023: 2
- 2024: 0
- 2025: 1
- 2026: 1
-
In Apache Spark 2.4.5 and earlier, a standalone resource manager's master may be configured to require authentication (spark.authenticate) via a shared secret. When enabled, however, a specially-craft this entry
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